Scars Never Fade 1: I Am
by Vampires Will Never Hurt Us
Summary: A young ThunderClan she-cat is separated from her Clan. Many moons later, she returns, only to be met by betrayal, heartbreak, and savage attacks. Now, as she struggles to rebuild her broken life, there is only one cat who can save her.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Three kits!" Firestar exclaimed, licking his mate's ears lovingly.

"I know," the she-cat sighed.

"What are their names?" Firestar asked.

"The pale ginger one is Squirrelkit," the leader's mate meowed. "The tabby is Leafkit, and the dark ginger one is Kitekit."

"Coming through!" Cinderpelt, the medicine cat meowed as she pushed her way into the medicine den with another mouthful of herbs for the ginger queen. "How are you feeling, Sandstorm?"

"Fine," the queen replied. "How do the kits look?"

Cinderpelt inspected the kits as Sandstorm downed the herbs. "The dark ginger kit doesn't look too good," she meowed. "I'd give her two days to live, at the most."

"What's wrong with her?" Sandstorm demanded.

"It's nearly impossible to tell with newborns," Cinderpelt sighed. "Especially one as small as her. I'd say breathing problems, but I wouldn't want to kill her with the wrong kind of herbs. All we can do is wait."

XXXX

It had been two moons since the birth of Sandstorm's three kits. Squirrelkit and Leafkit were doing exceptionally well, but Kitekit was extremely ill. Cinderpelt, try as she might, could not figure out what was wrong with the dark ginger she-kit. Kitekit mostly spent her days curled up by her mother's belly, sleeping or eating.

One night, a mournful wail came from the nursery. "She's not breathing!" It was Sandstorm. The frantic queen darted into the medicine den, dragging Kitekit's limp body with her. Cinderpelt bent down and sniffed the kit.

"I'm sorry," she mewed. "Kitekit is gone."

Sandstorm let out a mournful wail.

"We will sit vigil for the kit tonight."

XXXX

Kitekit opened her eyes and surveyed the area. She was in the clearing in the ThunderClan camp. To her right, she could see the nursery. To the left, the dens for the older cats. But how had she gotten here? She couldn't remember a thing about the day. Her mother, father, her sisters Squirrelkit and Leafkit, and the medicine cat, Cinderpelt, lay in front of her, fast asleep.

_What are they doing here?_ Kitekit thought. She hauled herself to her paws and wandered out of the camp, longing to explore. She trudged through the forest until she came across a warm, smooth black surface. Large, shiny creatures with bright eyes darted across it. The dark ginger kit drew back at the stench of the monsters, her ears flattened. Timidly, she placed a tiny paw on the surface. It felt warm. If the path didn't reek so badly, Kitekit might have curled up and fallen asleep on it. Instead, she turned away from the path and plodded on.

Soon, she came across a row of strange, square nests, surrounded by high fences of light, smooth wood. Kitekit tried to jump over them, but she only got halfway up before falling back down again. _There must be another way in,_ she thought. Then, she saw a hole in the bottom of the fence a few tail lengths away. She padded over to it, sniffed it cautiously, and wriggled her way through.

Inside the fence was a lush garden. There were all sorts of flowers and plants Kitekit didn't even know the name of. She crawled under a leafy green bush, curled up, and fell asleep.

XXXX

"What are you doing here?" The call made Kitekit sit straight up and look around frantically. Just outside the bush sat a dainty tabby she-cat. "What's your name?"

"I...I'm Kitekit," Kitekit replied. "Where am I?"

"Why, you're in my garden!" the tabby replied. "And what's a kit like you doing away from her parents?"

"I don't know," Kitekit replied. "I'm lost. Do you know where ThunderClan is?"

"ThunderClan?" the tabby mewed, her eyes widening. "I've heard stories about them. Aren't they the wild cats that live in the forest and eat housecats?"

"What's a housecat?" Kitekit asked. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure we don't eat other cats."

"Well," the tabby meowed. "My name's Tabitha. I live here. I'll bet you're starving. Would you like something to eat?"

"Do you have any milk?" Kitekit asked.

"I'm sure my housefolk could get you some," Tabitha replied. "Now, come on, let's get you inside."


	2. Review Replies

**KK, time for review replies! I've got two reviews so far! Yay! :D**

**xXxForgottenskyxXx: I HAVE read Firestar's Quest. I know that Firestar only had two kits. This is an ALTERNATE, a 'what if?' story, like most of the stories I've written. And there are several definitions for the word kite. The one I mean is '**any of several small birds of the hawk family Accipitridae that have long, pointed wings, feed on insects, carrion, reptiles, rodents, and birds, and are noted for their graceful, gliding flight.' The one you're thinking of is 'a light frame covered with some thin material, to be flown in the wind at the end of a long string.'

brambleclawrocks: Thanks! Please see the second part of my above answer.


	3. Chapter 1

**Time for chapter one! Yeah!**

Chapter 1

"Kite!" Kite looked up at the sound of her name. Glacier, Kite's best friend, a furry white tom, was racing along the fence toward her. "Kite, you'll never guess what just happened!"

"What?" Kite asked. She had a feeling it was going to be something that wasn't totally important. Glacier had a tendency to make a mountain out of an ant hill, so to speak.

"Rain went into the forest!" Glacier's eyes were wide with fright. "Do you think the wild cats'll get her?"

Kite sighed. "Glacier," she meowed. "I've told you a hundred times. I was a forest cat. We didn't eat housecats."

"But what if she gets hurt?" Glacier fretted.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kite meowed. "ThunderClan aren't unkind to strays unless they pose a threat to the Clan's well being." Kite tried to remember what it was like living in ThunderClan, but it was so many moons ago. She was twelve moons old now. She had asked Tabitha if she knew anything about them, but she said she didn't know a thing. "Why did she go into the forest, anyway?"

"She said she was sick of life as a housecat," Glacier replied. "And she said she's never coming back! She wants to go live with the Clan cats."

Kite nodded. "We can't keep her from her dreams," she meowed. "If Rain wants to be a Clan cat, then so be it. We can only hope that they won't ham her."

"We have to bring her back, though!" Glacier cried. With that, he jumped down from the fence and darted into the forest.

"Glacier, wait!" Kite called. She wanted to go after him, but she knew she couldn't go it alone. She needed and accomplice, someone who knew more about the forest than she did. And that cat was Odin, the old tom who had been a loner his whole life before being taken in by two kindly old housefolk. He had lived in a small cave in the side of the gorge by RiverClan territory.

"Odin!" Kite cried as she charged into his garden. The elderly tom was sunning himself on the fence, his eyes closed and his ears flat against his head. "Odin, you have to help me!"

Odin opened his eyes and fixed Kite in his fierce amber gaze. "What is your reason for disturbing me?"

"Glacier and Rain ran into the forest!" Kite cried. "You have to help me! You just have to! You know the Clans more than I do."

"Oh, fine," Odin growled. "But you owe me a nap." With that, he leapt from the fence and padded away into the forest with Kite on his tail.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Nine reviews! Shweet! I promise this chapter will be longer than the first one.**

**Oh, and on a side note, I stayed up all night last night, beisdes the ten minutes of sleep I got at around three in the morning (at intervals), so my mind's a bit muddled at the moment. I'm going for 48 hours without sleep, and I'll be needing something to occupy my time, so you can expect a lot of updates today!**

Chapter 2

Kite and Odin followed Glacier's scent trail for a while, until it mingled with the scents of other cats and disappeared into the air.

"What do you suppose happened?" Kite asked.

"Must've been caught by a RiverClan patrol," Odin replied. "I can smell 'em. This way," he flicked his tail and set off through the woods.

"How do you know where we're going?" Kite asked.

"I may be old, but I'm not dumb," Odin shot back, pressing his ears flat against his head. "Now, if you don't want to get lost out here, I suggest you follow me."

Kite sighed and trailed after the old tom until they came across a small river. Odin pointed out a few stepping stones, and leapt across them with ease. Kite followed more slowly. When she was finally on the other side of the river, she stuck her muzzle in the air and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ugh!" she cried. "What is that awful smell?"

"That's RiverClan," Odin replied. "And I can smell Glacier's scent trail again." The slow old tom tottered off toward an island.

"Are you sure we can just walk right into their camp?" Kite asked. "Isn't that a bit rude?"

"Oh, hush up," Odin growled. "They know me here, anyway. I helped them through famine many moons ago, when I could still run and hunt and defend my territory." The elder sighed wistfully, gazing into the distance for a moment before continuing into the camp.

"Cats of RiverClan!" Odin called.

"Odin!" Kite hissed.

"Odin?" The RiverClan leader meowed

"Odin!" Glacier's desperate cry rang out from behind a boulder.

"We have come to retrieve our friend," Odin meowed.

"Great!" a young warrior cried. "More kittypets!"

"I wasn't born a kittypet," Kite spat, narrowing her eyes. "And neither was he! _I_ was a ThunderClan cat."

"So?" the warrior meowed. "Get out of here, fleabags!"

"Not until you release our friend," Odin meowed. He turned to the RiverClan leader. "Leopardfur," he meowed. "Don't you remember when I helped to feed your Clan during the famine, when you were an apprentice?"

"It's Leopard_star_ now," the leader shot back. "And how could I possibly forget something like that? And why does it matter now?"

"I did your Clan a favor," Odin meowed. "And now you can do me a favor by returning our friend to us."

"Bring me two plump fish by sundown and you've got yourself a deal," Leopardstar meowed.

"OK," Odin meowed, dipping his head. "I cannot deny a leader. Come, Kite," the elder turned and padded out of camp. Kite followed him back out to the river. "Now," he meowed. "Let's see if I can remember how to do this." He crouched over the river, making sure he didn't cast a shadow over the water, reached out a paw, dabbed the water a few times, drew back, dabbed the water again, then plunged his paw into the water, dragging out a large silver fish. Odin threw it to the ground and bit it around where its neck should have been until it lay still.

"That was amazing!" Kite cried. "Mind if I give it a shot?" Odin nodded. Kite crouched over the river, trying hard to mimick Odin's every move. She glanced up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. Then, a silver flash drew her eye back to the water. _A fish!_ She plunged her paw into the water, claws unsheathed. She felt her claws come in contact with something cold and slimy, but she couldn't get a good grip on it, and it got away. "Mouse dung!" Kite cried, shaking droplets of water from her paw. "I'm a ThunderClan cat at heart, not a RiverClan cat!"

"Well, it was worth a shot," a voice meowed, causing both Kite and Odin to turn in shock.

"Glacier?" Kite mewed. "How did you get away?"

"I snuck out through a hole in the camp wall," Glacier replied, shrugging. "Let's get going. Those RiverClanners can pick up that fish when they get hungry."

Kite nodded in agreement as the three of them crossed the stepping stones once more. "Should we go find Rain?" she asked.

"Let's get something to eat first," Glacier suggested. "The food in RiverClan was _disgusting_!"

The three of them agreed to go back to their housefolks' nests and return the next morning to search for Rain. Then they parted ways, each of them eager to start tomorrow's journey.


	5. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the positive reviews, guys! Just so you know, starting next week, I'll be at a sleep-away camp, so I probably won't be able to update. So, I'll be updating very often for the rest of this week. Ummm...Yeah. That's it for now! Time for chapter three!**

Chapter 3

That night, Kite had trouble sleeping. When she closed her eyes, she could see the forest. She could feel the gentle newleaf breeze teasing her fur. She could hear prey scuffling in the undergrowth, and she could see her old Clanmates as they ran through the forest, their eyes alight with joy. Kite longed to join them, to feel their ecstacy, but her paws were rooted to the spot. All she could do was watch them enjoying themselves and the company of thier Clanmates. And when she opened her eyes, she was back in her housefolk's nest again, curled up in the soft nest she and Tabitha shared in the kitchen.

At about moonhigh, Kite rose to her paws and pushed her way through the small swinging opening in the bottom of her housefolk's door that led into the garden. She leapt onto the fence and gazed out into the forest beyond. She was tempted to leap down and race into the ThunderClan camp, just to see if anyone would recognize her. But she stayed where she was. She knew it would be foolish to run right onto Clan territory, so she stayed where she was. A cool breeze ruffled her fur. The half-moon hung high above her head. Kite jumped down from the fence, rolled onto her back, and gazed up at the stars.

"They're especially beautiful tonight, aren't they?" The sudden meow made Kite jerk her head to the right in surprise. Odin stood on the fence, looking down at her.

"Yeah," Kite murmured in agreement.

"Do you know about the warrior ancestors that live in the sky?" Odin asked, jumping down and settling down beside Kite, tucking his paws under his chest and looking up at the sky.

"You mean StarClan?" Kite meowed. "I've heard of them, but I wasn't in ThunderClan long enough to learn the stories."

"Would you like to hear one?" Odin offered. Kite nodded. "One of my favorite stories about a StarClan cat is the tale of Silverstream, a RiverClan cat. Silverstream was the daughter of Crookedstar. She met her mate, a ThunderClan tom named Graystripe, when she saved him from drowning. After that, they met practically every night, and before long she found out she would be bearing his kits. She longed to join him in ThunderClan, but she knew she could never be happy there, and she didn't consider asking him to join RiverClan, since she knew he wouldn't be happy there, either. And so, when the time came to bear his kits, she had not been in camp, and so she died from blood loss. Graystripe had brought the medicine cat from his cat too late. Silverstream bore two kits and died. Now, she walks StarClan, nursing and looking after deceased kits."

But Kite wasn't listening. She was already fast asleep.

**So, what did you think? It was a bit short, I'm sure. I'm open to any suggestions for future chapters. PM me!**

**- Blazey**


	6. Chapter 4

**So, I know this question is kind of off topic, but has anyone else seen ****Sweeney Todd****? My cousin, her friend and I are listening to the soundtrack right now. I was just wondering if anyone else enjoys the movie as much as I do. Um...Chapter four!**

**On a side note, I'm at my cousin's house, so I don't have my Warriors books with me, so this information probably isn't completely accurate. If I make a mistake, please tell me!**

Chapter 4

When Kite awoke, it was just past sunrise. Odin was sitting on the fence with Glacier by his side. Kite rose to her paws, stretching, and leapt onto the fence beside Glacier.

"Good morning, Kite!" Glacier meowed. "Are you ready to go find Rain?"

"Sure," Kite replied. Odin flicked his tail, and the three of them leapt into the forest. "Where are we headed?" Kite asked, turning toward Odin.

"We're going to the Thunderpath, to see if she's camped there." Odin replied. "If she's not there, we'll head for ShadowClan territory."

"Whose territory is the Thunderpath on?" Kite asked.

"I believe we'll be on ThunderClan territory," Odin replied.

Kite nodded, her stomach twisting uneasily. What if they were attacked, and she couldn't convince her old Clanmates that she was Firestar's daughter? The three of them would be doomed, and it would be all her fault.

She could smell the mice hiding in the undergrowth, and she was tempted to practice hunting, but there wasn't time.

"Patrol!" Odin hissed. "Follow me!" he flicked his tail and dove into a clump of ferns. Glacier and Kite followed. Just as the bushes parted, revealing a patrol of ThunderClan cats, Kite was slipping into the fern.

"Who's in there?" A voice called. "Show yourselves if you value your lives!"

"Dustpelt," a she-cat meowed. "Calm down." The voice was familiar, and it struck Kite right in the gut.

"I think we should show ourselves," Kite whispered. Odin nodded, and the three of them slipped out of the ferns. The patrol was made up of three warriors, including the familiar ginger she-cat, and a small tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, who looked as though she was a new apprentice.

"Sandstorm?" Kite mewed, her voice barely a whisper.

Sandstorm scanned the group of housecats. When she got to Kite, her eyes glimmered with recognition for less than a heartbeat, then they turned cold once more. "What are you three doing here? We've already got one kittypet on our hands, we don't need more."

"You mean Rain?" Glacier meowed, his eyes glimmering with hope. "Is she in your camp? Oh, this is great! We can just go to your camp and-"

Odin slapped his tail over Glacier's mouth and stepped forward. "I believe this 'kittypet' as you call her, may be our friend, Rain. We were wondering if perhaps you could fetch her for us."

"Don't listen to the kittypet!" Dustpelt snarled. "They're just a bunch of lying, filthy softies!"

"Don't talk like that!" Sandstorm growled. "Firestar was a kittypet, and he's one of the best leaders ever born."

"Do you really nead that fleabag?" Dustpelt meowed coldly. "You would have been much happier with me."

"Save it," Sandstorm snapped. She turned to the three housecats. "Wait right here. Leafpaw and Cinderpelt will bring you your friend and escort you back to the Twolegplace."

Odin nodded, meowing his thanks to the patrol as they padded away. "Well," he meowed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "They certainly are charmers, aren't they?"

Kite nodded, unable to speak. Had her mother recognized her? Would she tell Firestar that their third daughter was still alive?

"Are you OK?" Glacier asked, padding up to Kite's side.

"I...I'm fine," Kite insisted, though she felt nauseous, and wanted to drop onto her side in a dead faint.

Glacier placed his tail over Kite's shoulder, and together the three of them waited. It wasn't long before the bushes rustled again. A tabby she-cat with green eyes and a gray tabby she-cat with clear, watery blue eyes stepped out, escorting Rain, a solid, dark gray she-cat.

"Rain!" Glacier cried, racing up to Rain and pressing his muzzle against hers. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Leafkit?" Kite mewed, looking toward the tabby and white she-cat.

"Leaf_paw_," she snapped. "And who are you?"

"Don't you remember me?" Kite asked. "It's Kitekit, your sister. Don't you know me?"

Leafpaw's eyes widened. "You're supposed to be dead!" she cried.

"But I'm not," Kite insisted.

"This is great!" Leafpaw cried, racing up to kite and nuzzling her. "Now you can come back and live with us! We can all be a family again!"

"No," Kite sighed, pulling away. "I'm happy where I am."

"You mean," Leafpaw meowed. "You _like_ being a _kittypet_?"

"_Housecat_," Kite corrected. "I'm a housecat. And yes, I like where I'm living."

"We should get going, then," Odin meowed, flicking his tail. Together, the band of housecats padded toward their nests.

XXXX

"Kite?" Glacier meowed from the top of the fence. It was moonrise, and Kite was lying on her back in the garden, gazing up at the stars.

"Yeah?" Kite meowed. Glacier leapt down into the garden and padded to Kite's side, lying down beisde her the way Odin had done the night before.

"Are you OK?" Glacier asked.

"I'm fine," Kite snapped. "Why do you care?"

"I was just wondering," Glacier replied. "You just...well, you've been looking a bit tense since that run-in with your sister."

"I'm fine," Kite repeated. "Never better."

Glacier placed his head on Kite's shoulder and gazed up at the stars with her. "Good," he meowed. There was a moment of silence between them. "Can I tell you something?" Glacier asked.

"Sure," Kite replied.

"You're great," Glacier meowed. "You're my best friend. I mean, you've always been there for me. And I know it hasn't been that long, but..." Glacier stopped, sighing.

"Go on," Kite urged.

"I...I think I might be in love with you," Glacier meowed. "I know I probably sound like a total mousebrain right now, but I thought you should know."

Kite just sat there, stunned into silence. No one had ever loved her. Or, at least, no one had ever said they loved her. She wanted so badly to bury herself in Glacier's fluffy white pelt and tell him she felt the same way, but they were both so young. And besides, Kite wasn't entirely sure of her feelings for the young tom.

"I guess I should give you some time to yourself," Glacier meowed. Slowly, he rose to his paws, licked Kite's ear, and jumped onto the fence. With one last hopeful glance at Kite, he leapt down into his garden.

**Whoa. I swear, my stomach just meowed. That's how hungry I am! It has to meow like a kitten to get my attention! I'll probably go eat a banana or something later. But for now, I must update some more! If you review, you get a free Odin plushie! ;)**


	7. Chapter 5

**21 reviews already? Great God! That's cool. That's really cool. You guys are awesome! Here's chapter five. I'll try to make it more action-packed soon. ;)**

Chapter 5

After Glacier left, Kite just sat there, pondering. So, Glacier was in love with her. She knew that. Or, at least, he _thought_ he was in love with her. Did she feel the same way? Kite wasn't sure of herself. She wanted to love him, but was he really right for her? Impossible to tell. Would he really do anything for her? Again, impossible to tell.

"Kite?" Tabitha's meow made the young she-cat turn. Tabitha sat by the door, her tail curled around her paws. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," Kite mewed, turning away again. "I think I'm gonna sleep outside tonight."

"Alright then," Tabitha meowed. "If you get hungry, you know how to get back in." With that, Kite's foster mother turned and pushed through the opening in their housefolk's door.

Kite rose to her paws and clambered onto the fence. She surveyed her surroundings. Above her, StarClan looked down on her. The moon was slowly waning. The forest looked cool and inviting, but she wouldn't go back. She didn't want to face Leafpaw or Sandstorm or anyone from her family again. She would rather stay with her housefolk.

In the next garden, Kite could see Glacier pacing back and forth, keeping his cerulean eyes on his paws. Kite wanted to jump down into his garden and sit next to him, watching the stars until, one by one, they disappeared from the sky and the sun rose.

Suddenly, a loud screech made Kite jerk her head back toward the forest. "Get off of ThunderClan territory!" a voice screeched. Kite jumped down from her spot on the fence, followed shortly after by Glacier.

"You heard that, too?" Kite mewed.

"How could I not?" Glacier replied. "Come on! We have to go help your Clan!" Together, the two of them darted into the forest.

Kite felt a bit uneasy running right beside Glacier, so she tried her best to keep ahead of him. When they reached the forest, Kite skidded to a stop. In front of them stood Firestar, locked in battle with a calico tom.

"Firestar!" Kite cried. Firestar looked up and gasped, his eyes glimmering with recognition. He leapt off of the calico tom, scratched his flank, and let the tom run away.

"Kitekit!" Firestar cried, running up to his daughter and pressing his muzzle against hers. "I thought you were dead!"

"I'm not!" Kite cried. "And my name's just Kite now. This is Glacier, by the way." Kite flicked her tail toward Glacier, who hung behind uneasily.

"Oh, your mother will be so excited to learn you're still alive!" Firestar meowed. "Come on, then! We have to take you back to camp! You and Glacier can both stay, if you like."

"No, Firestar," Kite meowed firmly. "I already told Leafpaw that I don't want to return to ThunderClan. I like living with my housefolk."

"I suppose the forest isn't for everyone," Firestar sighed. "Well then, I'll just let you go back to your home now." As they were turning to leave, Firestar leaned in toward Glacier and hissed, "Take good care of my daughter."

"Firestar!" Kite cried, feeling her skin turn red with embarrassment. She was glad that she had giner fur, so it didn't show through. "Come on, Glacier."

"ThunderClan will be ready for you if you choose to return!" Firestar called.

"I'm not going to return!" Kite shot over her shoulder.

For the rest of the walk home, Glacier stuck close by Kite's side, so that their pelts were almost brushing.

"What are you doing?" Kite asked after a while.

"Your father told me to protect you," Glacier meowed. "So that's what I'm doing."

"You don't need to guard me every moment," Kite retorted. "I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much." Kite picked up her pace until she was a foxlength away from Glacier. As soon as her housefolk's nest came within view, she clambered onto the fence, dropped down into the garden, and crawled under a hawthorn bush to sleep.

The next morning, Kite saw Glacier sitting on the fence, gazing down into Kite's garden, probably waiting for her to come out. "Have you been sitting there all night?" Kite asked irritably.

"I had to," Glacier replied. "Your father told me to watch after you. I couldn't let you sleep outside all by yourself without protection."

Kite growled under breath and stalked away, leaving Glacier sitting on the fence, hurt and confused.


	8. Chapter 6

**Time for chapter...6? Yes, I believe it's chapter 6!**

Chapter 6

That afternoon, Kite returned to the garden after spending the day sitting in her housefolk's nest eating and sleeping. Of course, the moment she padded into the garden, Glacier was there, sitting on his side of the fence, looking down at her intently.

"Glacier!" Kite cried. "I told you to stop! I don't need protection!"

"Your father says you do," Glacier replied.

"Forget about Firestar!" Kite growled. "Look, I'm going for a walk, and I don't want you hanging over my shoulder like a vulture. So, if you love me, will you please just stay put?"

Glacier sighed. "But there was somewhere I wanted to take you!"

"Well," Kite meowed. "Since I'm going on a walk, you might as well take me there."

"Great!" Glacier mewed, his eyes lighting up. "Come with me!"

Together, the two of them padded through the forest, and the whole time Glacier _did_ hang over Kite's shoulder like a vulture. Kite tried to keep ahead of him, but, as it turned out, Glacier was a lot faster than Kite had suspected. After a while, Glacier stopped.

"This is the place," he meowed.

"But it's just a clump of heather," Kite meowed.

Glacier brushed the heather aside to reveal a meadow full of flowers of every color dotting the bright green grass. The sky was dotted with tiny, fluffy cloud. To the left, a waterfall spilled over into a pond. The eastern side of the pond opened up into a stream that ran off in the direction of RiverClan's territory. To the right, there was a large boulder with vines growing off of them. Large purple flowers bloomed from the vines.

"It's beautiful!" Kite cried. "How did you find out about it?"

"I was bored," Glacier replied. "So I decided to look around, and I found this place. Come over here," Glacier led Kite over to the boulder with the vines. He parted two of the largest tendrils and led Kite into the bubble-shaped den within. The ground was covered in thick, soft moss, and a small opening in the curtain of vines at the top of the boulder let in a warm beam of light.

"This place is great!" Kite cried. She lingered in the large den for a moment longer before padding out toward the pond. In the pond, several silver and orange fish darted around, their scales glimmering in the newleaf sun.

Glacier padded out to join Kite once more. "I really do love you," he meowed, twining his tail with hers. "Thats why I brought you here. I've never shown anyone else this place."

"That was sweet of you," Kite mewed.

"Would you like to share a fish?" Glacier asked. He shot his paw into the water and brought out a bright orange fish. He killed it quickly and nudged it toward Kite. She leaned down and took and uneasy bite. The rubbery, scaly meat tasted cold, but it was delicious. She and Glacier shared two more fish, each of them eating until they were full.

XXXX

The rest of the day flew by rather quickly, and before Kite knew it, the moon had risen and StarClan had spread its blanket of stars across the sky. Kite and Glacier padded into the den, making themselves comfortable on the mossy ground. As Kite curled up to go to sleep, she felt Glacier press himself against her. The contact was akward, and she squirmed away uneasily.

The next day, Kite didn't awaken until sunhigh. Glacier sat above her, looking down at the ginger she-cat with loving eyes.

"What?" Kite meowed, rising to her paws. Glacier didn't take his eyes off of her.

"You're so beautiful when you sleep," Glacier replied.

"We have to get home, now!" Kite cried. "Tabitha will be worried!" Kite dashed for the entrance, but Glacier stopped her.

"You don't have to go," he meowed desperately. "We could stay here and be happy. There's enough food to feed the both of us, and we're far away from Clan territory. We don't need the soft like of a housecat."

"I like my life back there," Kite meowed.

"You're not going to leave me, are you?" Glacier mewed. "Please, don't! I love you, and I want you to stay!"

"Well, I don't know how I feel," Kite replied. "And I just can't stay here. I'm sorry, Glacier, but I'm going home." She turned and marched out of the swath of heather, heading straight for her home.


	9. Chapter 7

**Happy Fourth, everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter! This is the part where the story starts to match the description!**

**Note: There's...certain content in this chapter that might disturb a few readers...Just thought you might like to know.**

**Another Note: I'm going to be twisting the plot a bit, so most of the stuff in the following chapters probably didn't happen in the books.**

Chapter 7

"Kite, are you alright?" Odin asked as Kite leapt into her garden. Her fur stood on end and her tail lashed back and forth.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" Kite snapped, flattening her ears.

"What's wrong?" Odin asked, leaping down beside Kite.

"It's Glacier," Kite replied. "He's just so...so...ugh! I can't stand him! He's so overprotective, and he just won't leave me alone! He wants me to be his mate, but I'm too young and he's too young and -"

Odin placed his tail across Kite's mouth to silence her. "Tell Glacier you're not interested," he suggested.

"You think I haven't tried that yet?" Kite meowed. "I've tried everything I can think of! He just won't go away!"

Odin sat there silently for a moment. "Did he do anything bad to you?" he asked after a moment.

"No," Kite replied. "Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure," Odin replied. "Well, I suppose you'll just have to wait until he gets the hint. If he violates you in any way, come and see me." He gave Kite an encouraging lick on the ear and leapt onto the fence and back into his garden.

Kite crawled back under her hawthorn bush and dropped off to sleep once more.

XXXX

It was moonrise when Kite awoke again. She stretched and crept out of the bush. The stars glittered above her. Kite thought of Silverstream, the RiverClan cat that lived in StarClan. Had the rest of her family joined her yet? Just how many cats lived in StarClan? Would she go to StarClan when she died? These questions and more raced around in her head as she leapt down into the forest. She felt her paws dragging her toward the heather bushes that encircled Glacier's hideout.

"Glacier?" Kite called as she stuck her head through the entrance. There was silence. Kite crept in and padded toward the edge of the pond. The silver fish were still swimming around, seeming perfectly content. Kite sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. Glacier had brought her to the most beautiful place she had ever seen and proposed his love for her, and she had turned him down flat.

_I mess everything up,_ she thought. A sudden rustle in the bushes made Kite look up. Behind her stood Glacier, his fur standing on end, a mouse dangling by its tail from his jaws. When Glacier saw her, he dropped the mouse and gasped.

"Kite!" he cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize," Kite replied. "I was rude, and I realize that now. You were so kind to me, and all I did was hurt you.I'm really, really sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

Glacier dipped his head and padded to Kite's side. "Do you want to be mates now?"

Kite bowed her head and sighed. "I don't think so," she replied. "I mean, I'm old enough to be made a warrior in ThunderClan, and you're eighteen moons old. You're so much older than me, and besides, Rain is closer to you in age."

"But I don't want her like I want you," Glacier meowed, pressing his muzzle against Kite's shoulder. "And I will have you." Before Kite knew what was happening, she was lying on her stomach, and Glacier was on top of her.

"What are you doing?" Kite cried. But she didn't need to ask. She already knew. She could feel Glacier working his way into her. She trembled, yowling in pain as Glacier starting going in and out. Kite struggled, tossing her head and screeching, but it was no use. After what seemed like an eternity, Glacier released her. Kite rolled onto her side, reduced to mewling in fear and pain.

"There," Glacier meowed, nodding his head in satisfaction. "Now you're mine."

Kite closed her eyes in exhaustion, but was unable to sleep. When she finally did drop into a restless sleep, she dreamed of Glacier, his eyes alight with pleasure. She was trying to run from him, but couldn't move. She was trapped by him. She knew she couldn't escape now, not after what had happened. She belonged to him now. There was no choice. She was his mate now, no matter what she did or where she went. She was bound to him forever by his will.


	10. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's been so long, guys! I've been REALLY busy lately. I've sat down to write this chapter several times, but I couldn't find any inspiration. Hopefully, this chapter will live up to what little expectations I have stacked up for myself.**

Chapter 8

It seemed as though dawn would never come. All night, she tossed and turned, waking up periodically, only to be plunged into a pit of nightmares as soon as she closed her eyes again. Before long, she decided she didn't need sleep as much as she needed someone to talk to. Just before dawn, she hauled herself back to her paws and crept back out into the forest.

There was a pang of regret somewhere deep within her. Perhaps it was that she regretted leaving the glade, or that she regretted the fact that she would most likely bear Glacier's kits. Either way, she shook it off and plodded on. A heavy, freezing rain began to fall, soaking Kite to the bone. Her stomach snarled with hunger, but she couldn't stop. She wanted to put as much distance between Glacier and herself as possible. There were so many places she could go to, but there was one place she needed to go to. And that place was Odin's nest. Since leaving ThunderClan all those moons ago, Odin had been the father figure in her life. He would know what to do.

Kite quickened her pace until she was heading in a steady gallop straight toward Odin's home. When she reached his gate, she did not hesitate to pull herself up to the top and leap into the garden. As she predicted, he wasn't outside. She padded up to the door at the edge of the garden and meowed as loudly as she could. She even scratched at the door with her claws to make a bit more noise. Before long, Odin poked his head out of the flap on the door that lead into his nest.

"What's going on?" he hissed. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I need your help," Kite whispered.

"Fine," Odin muttered, pulling himself out into the garden. He sat down on the wet grass, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Tell me what you need to say."

"I need to get out of here," Kite mewed. "Not just out of my housefolk's place, but out of the whole forest."

"Why?" Odin asked.

"I need to escape Glacier," Kite replied. "I can't tell you why. I just need to escape as quickly as possible. Where should I go?"

"I don't know," Odin replied. "But I'm going with you."

"Odin," Kite murmured. "You don't have to go with me. I can take care of myself."

"If that's what you want," Odin sighed. "You'll need to cut through ThunderClan territory and head across the Thunderpath to WindClan territory. You want to find Highstones. If you bump into any Clan cats, tell them nothing about your mission. When you get to WindClan's territory, cross the Thunderpath immediately and keep heading forward. You'll know the Highstones when you see them. When you get there, it's your decision which path you take."

"Thanks," Kite mewed, dipping her head.

"You must leave immediately if you want to get anywhere before Glacier finds out," Odin mewed.

Kite nodded, giving Odin a thankful lick on the ear, then leapt over the fence and out into the forest once more.


	11. Chapter 9

**Wow, I've been REALLY inactive lately! Well, school's just started for me, so I'm pretty busy at the moment...Here's another update for ya! :D**

Chapter 9

Kite plodded on through ThunderClan's territory, making sure to stick to the edge of the border as best as she could, in order to avoid running into any more Clan cats. The rain had not stopped falling, and Kite was about to give up and stop to rest for the day when she heard a rumbling noise like a thousand earthquakes. A familiar, acrid tang hit the roof of her mouth, making her draw back in disgust. Then, she knew. It was the Thunderpath! She was almost there!

The she-cat quickened her pace until the trees parted, giving her a clear view of the smelly black strip of land on which the Twolegs' monsters traveled. The scent of the Thunderpath mixed with the rain was more than the young she-cat could bear. A monster roared by quite suddenly, kicking up muddy water from the middle of the road as it did so. The water was flung into Kite's face. She spat angrily and plodded on.

The rain did not cease until that night, when Kite curled up behind a boulder that was surrounded by for tall oak trees. The full moon rose slowly into the sky; the grass beneath the she-cat's paws was uncomfortably wet. Kite knew she could have passed Highstones by now, but she had been moving slowly all day, stopping to eat every now and then.

Just as Kite was getting comfortable, a sudden voice made her jump.

"Intruder! Kittypet intruder!" Kite's eyes snapped open to see a dark gray tom standing above her, claws unsheathed and teeth bared. His fur stood on end, and his eyes glowered with hostility. "I knew I smelled something strange! Blackstar! Let's just kill it now!"  
"Enough!" A large white tom with black paws marched up to the dark gray warrior's side. "The Gathering is a night for peace, not hostility and murder." He turned to face Kite. "We're going to have to ask you to leave immediately." His voice was gentle but firm, with just the tiniest hint of hostility behind it. "If you don't, we _will_ have to take serious action, whether or not this is a night dedicated to peace."

"What are you talking about?" Kite asked, rising to her paws. "I didn't scent any borders around here."

"The four Clans gather here every full moon," Blackstar explained. "This technically is not any Clan's territory. We all share it on this night."

The gray tom sniffed the air. "ThunderClan are here," he reported, his voice rigid with wariness. A heartbeat later, ThunderClan charged into the clearing. Kite turned to leave, for fear of being spotted by her family, when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Kite!" The she-cat whipped around to face Glacier standing beside Firestar, his eyes glowing with anger. "You thought you could escape me, but I found you! I knew I would!"

"Why are you with ThunderClan?" Kite asked.

"Glacierpelt is the newest addition to ThunderClan," Firestar reported happily.

"So you just welcomed a mangy kittypet who showed up at your camp entrance and made him a warrior?" Blackstar spat. "You are a disgrace to the forest, Firestar."

"He is a fine fighter," Firestar retorted. "And he can hunt just as well as Sandstorm. He also knows many things I may never learn."

Blackstar shook his head, sighing. "Bluestar made a mistake when she welcomed you into her Clan," he meowed.

Firestar bared his teeth in the beginnings of a snarl, then quickly put himself back together. "Why don't we just start the Gathering?" he suggested. "WindClan and RiverClan have already arrived."

"Fine," Blackstar grumbled, flicking his tail in irritation. As Firestar, Blackstar, and the dark gray tom padded away, Glacierpelt sat down beside Kite, who took a few instinctive steps backwards.

"Why don't you come and live in ThunderClan?" Glacier suggested. "I think it would be best for our kits to be raised under the warrior code."

"No," Kite snarled.

"If you love me, and if you love the kits, then you'll come and live in ThunderClan."

"But that's just it!" Kite cried. "I _don't_ love you! And I _don't_ love the kits. I'd jump in front of a hundred monsters on the Thunderpath before I went to live with you!" She turned away from him pointedly.

Glacierpelt didn't give up. He padded up beside Kite and placed his tail over her shoulders. She pushed him away.

"Kite," Glacierpelt meowed. "I'm hurt that you would say something so ridiculous. You told me you were sorry just the other day, and offered to bear my kits."

"Stop putting words in my mouth!" Kite snarled. "I said no such thing."

"Well then," Glacierpelt meowed. "I have a Gathering to attend to. But if you ever decide that you want to come live with me, I'll be sure to make a nest for you."

Kite snarled, glaring at Glacierpelt, before turning and bounding back up the slope and out of the clearing. She continued to pad along beside the Thunderpath until she came to the border of WindClan's territory. She knew it wouldn't be wise to cross over, so she curled up under a nearby hazel bush and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 10

**OK...I think I'mma start getting back into the habit of updating regularly, so (I hope!) you'll be seeing me around a lot more!**

Chapter 10

The next morning, Kite awoke just before dawn. The air was heavy with the scent of rain. Kite screened through the overwhelming scent, trying to focus on the scent of prey. She smelled nothing. Stretching and rising to her paws, the she-cat returned to the Gathering place.

As she had hoped, the clearing was entirely deserted. Just to be sure, she sniffed the air one last time before plunging down into the area in which the Clan cats gathered at every full moon. The boulder behind which she had napped smelled strongly of each Clan. Kite guessed that the leaders stood on it. Gathering all her strength, she leapt onto the side of the boulder, just barely a whisker length from the top, and clawed her way up until she stood on the smooth, slightly rounded surface of the top of the boulder. A light breeze whisked through the four oaks, ruffling Kite's fur. A feeling of pride swelled within her. She felt like a true leader. She turned around on the boulder, looking out through the trees at the rest of the forest. To the west was ShadowClan's territory. Slightly northeast was WindClan. Directly south was ThunderClan, and southeast was RiverClan.

The sudden scuffling of prey in the bushes startled Kite. She clawed her way back down the boulder and headed back toward the Thunderpath, deciding that she was going to put off eating for as long as she could stand it. She needed to put as much distance between herself and...Glacierpelt...as possible. The thought of the young tom's new warrior name made Kite shudder. She resented her father for welcoming a cat like him into his Clan. StarClan knew how many she-cats he would force to bear his kits. Pity struck the loner's heart, and for a moment, she was tempted to turn around, head back to ThunderClan, and warn them about what Glacierpelt was capable of.

_No,_ Kite told herself. _I've been in this forest long enough. I need to leave. Now._ With that, she trotted off once more.

Once she was at the edge of the Thunderpath once more, she allowed herself to let her guard down. The path was empty. She set first one paw, then two, then all four onto the putrid smelling path and darted across, hurtling herself into a nearby clump of bushes. She knew she was past ShadowClan territory now. It would take Glacierpelt quite some time to find her, if he did decide he only wanted her. Kite stayed in the shrub for a while, waiting for her gurgling stomach to settle down. After a long while, she decided she would hunt for something to eat.

By the time sunhigh had passed, Kite had gorged herself with enough food to feed seven famished warriors. Once she was satisfied she continued along the path at a steady trot.

It was just past sunset when Kite had reached her destination. Odin had been correct. Even without knowing exactly where she was, she knew that she was at Mothermouth. She settled herself down on a nearby boulder and gazed up at the cave. She was exhausted after a day's worth of traveling, and rain had begun to fall again. She leapt down from her perch and padded toward the cave. She sniffed the air warily. It tasted stale, holding the scents of each Clan. This frightened her, but her instincts told her no cat had been here in moons. And it was so cold outside. Without another glance behind her the she-cat plunged into the darkness.


	13. Chapter 11

**Sorry about the long wait on updates! I've finally got a day to myself, so I'm going to try and update most of my stories today. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Silence enveloped the she-cat as she padded through the dark, seemingly endless tunnel. Just when she thought she knew where the tunnel was headed, it snaked into a completely different direction. She was sure that she was lost, and longed to turn around. Maybe, if she sucked in her chest, she would have enough space to turn around. What was this place, anyway? Was it home to a badger? A _clan_ of badgers? That thought, and the cold, musty air, sent a shiver down her spine. Her heart raced with fear, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She took another great whiff of the air. It glided over her scent pallettes, and there were no foreign scents that she had any reason to be afraid of. She sighed, settling herself down where she was and closing her eyes. The echo of her breathing off of the all-too-close walls soon lulled her to sleep.

--X

Kite opened her eyes slowly, and she gazed around the tunnel. It was still pitch black. Was it still the middle of the night? Was it mid-day? Just how long had she been asleep? There was only one way to find out. She sucked in her stomach and, still crouching on the ground, spun herself around. She rose to her paws stiffly and bounded through the tunnels, eager to get out and continue on her journey. Would Glacierpelt really come after her? Kite didn't want to know.

It seemed like moons had passed by the time she finally got to the mouth of the tunnel. The sun, sitting high in the sky, beat down on the she-cat's thick ginger pelt. Kite cursed herself inwardly for sleeping for so long. She'd have to make up for all the time she lost. She turned to the west and bounded down the moor, enjoying the cool breeze that swept through her dirty, unkempt fur. She would have to wash it later tonight. For now, she focused all of her energy on moving as quickly as possible, only stopping for a quick breath every now and then.

It wasn't very long before she reached a small barn on the other side of the road. She crossed the Thunderpath quickly and ducked into the door of the barn. The barn was warm, with little patches of sunlight falling through holes in the roof. The place smelled of hay and mice. Wait, not mice. Kite scented the air again. It was rats.

Kite's body stiffened as she registered the scent. Rats were supposed to be vicious killers. Just as she thought this, a large, black rat scurried out from under a pile of hay and ran past the she-cat. She squealed in fright, leaping backwards several rabbit hops.

"Rat!" she cried.

"Oh, come now. They're not _that_ bad." The sudden voice made Kite jump again. She looked up, toward the direction where the voice had come from. A sleek black tom leapt down from the upper level of the barn and landed smoothly beside her. "You've got to keep your mind open. Here," he turned quickly as another rat dashed by, caught it swiftly by the neck, and turned back to her. He dropped it at her paws. "You look kind of hungry. Try a bite, I insist."

"Erm..." Kite murmured. Weren't rogues supposed to be vicious, too? She stooped down and took a wary bite. The warm, juicy meat of the plump, freshly-killed prey was delicious. "Thanks," she mumbled, her mouth full of half-chewed rat meat.

"No problem," the sleek black tom replied. "My name's Ravenpaw. I live here with my friend Barley."

"Ravenpaw?" Kite asked, looking back up at the tom. "What Clan did you belong to?"

"ThunderClan," Ravenpaw replied.

"Why'd you leave?"

"My mentor turned out to be an ambitious murderer who was bent on killing me and our leader in order to gain domination of the Clans."

"That's rough," Kite murmured.

"Where do you come from?" Ravenpaw asked.

"I was born in ThunderClan, but I've been living as a housecat for most of my life," Kite replied. "I've been running away from one of my old friends for a few days now."

"And why are you running?" Ravenpaw asked, tipping his head to one side curiously.

"It's a long story," Kite sighed. "And I don't have much time. I have to get out of here, and as far away from him as possible."

"You said you were from ThunderClan?" Ravenpaw meowed. "Who are your parents?"

"Firestar and Sandstorm," Kite replied.

Ravenpaw's eyes grew wide at the sound of their names.

"What?" Kite meowed. "Do you know them?"

"I grew up with them," Ravenpaw replied, his voice distant. He shook his head quickly, bringing himself back to reality. "Please, won't you stay the night? There's plenty of room here, and I'm sure Barely would understand."

"If I did," Kite meowed. "I'd have to leave first thing in the morning. I'm kind of on the run, remember?"

"Right," Ravenpaw mewed, nodding once. "But where did you intend to sleep tonight?"

"I don't really know where I'm headed," Kite admitted sheepishly.

"Well now," Ravenpaw meowed. "That's not very smart, now is it?"

"I suppose not," Kite admitted.

"Why don't you stay here while you figure out some sort of plan?" Ravenpaw suggested. "Come on, there's plenty of room up there." Ravenpaw gestured to the upper level of the barn with his tail.

"OK," Kite meowed. "If you insist. I guess I'd much rather sleep in here than outside in the streets." And so she and Ravenpaw leapt up into the upper level of the barn and shared another rat.

--X

"So," Ravenpaw meowed, licking the remains of the rat they had shared off of his lips. "Why don't you tell me that story? You know, the reason why you ended up here in the first place."

Kite paused nervously, glancing hesitantly around the hay loft, as Ravenpaw called it. "How much do you want to know?"

"Well," Ravenpaw meowed. "As much as you'd like to tell me, I suppose."

"OK then," Kite meowed. "So, I was born into ThunderClan with the name Kitekit. I left the Clan at the age of three moons and found my way to the Twolegplace. A young she-cat named Tabitha raised me until I was twelve moons old. I had a good friend named Glacier who was always clinging to me. So, one day, he took me to a small glade just outside of ThunderClan's territory and told me that he loved me. I rejected him and went home, but he just kept coming back, and finally, he forced me to mate with him, and I'm probably due to bear his kits within the next two moons. So I went to Odin, who is an older tom that I've depended on for most of my life, and he suggested that I head in this direction. So I've spent a few days traveling, and now here I am."

"So is your name still Kitekit?" Ravenpaw asked.

"No, Kite replied. "I shed my Clan name a long time ago. I'm just Kite now."

"Well, Kite," Ravenpaw meowed. "I'm sorry that you've had to leave everything you know behind. I'd be happy to accompany you to a safe place that I know of, far away from here. There's a group of cats that will gladly take you in, I'm sure."

"How far is it?" Kite asked.

"A few days' travel, if we're fast enough," Ravenpaw replied.

"Glacierpelt would find me for sure," Kite murmured. "I think I'd rather find my own place to stay. But thank you for the offer."

"Ravenpaw?" a new voice called from below. "Ravenpaw, who is with you? I scent an intruder!"

"It's quite alright!" Ravenpaw called, poking his head out over the ledge of the hay loft. "It's just Kite, Firestar's daughter. She is welcome here."

"Ah," the voice said. Soon, a black-and-white tom stood beside Ravenpaw on the edge of the hay loft. He turned to face Kite, dipping his head to her politely. "My name is Barley. Ravenpaw and I have lived here together for many a moon."

"It's nice to meet you," Kite replied, bowing her head in return. "If it is alright with you, Ravenpaw has invited me to stay for the night, as I am leaving my home and I am in need of shelter."

"It is quite alright with me," Barley replied. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes," Kite mewed. "The rats here taste much better than I had suspected.

Barley purred in amusement at this. "Most passerby do say that."

"There have been others?" Kite asked.

"Why, yes," Barley replied, his chest swelling with pride. "We once housed all of WindClan when Fireheart and Graystripe brought them back from their tunnel under the Thunderpath."

"But there's no time for stories now, is there?" Ravenpaw cut in. "Kite needs to get an early start tomorrow. We should let her rest."

"Alright then," Barley meowed. "But, Ravenpaw, I must speak with you down below."

Kite watched them as they leapt down skillfully from the top of the hay loft. She settled down, making a nest for herself in the piles of hay, and tried to listen to the two loners' conversation, but the sweet scent of the hay soon soothed her to sleep.


	14. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was early the next morning when Kite awoke. The sweet scent of hay reminded her where she was. She gazed around the hay loft, trying to find Barley or Ravenpaw. She scented the air, and found that their scents were stale, at least one night old. Kite rose to her paws, stretching rather stiffly, and leapt down from the loft onto a bale of hay.

"Ravenpaw?" she called. "Barley?" Kite knew that she had to leave as soon as possible, but she refused to leave without thanking the two loners for allowing her to stay for the night. A rat darted past the ginger she-cat, and she pounced on it swiftly and delivered the killing blow to the creature's neck. She was glad she had inherited her mother's hunting skills. She settled down and devoured the rat quickly to calm her rumbling belly. Then she groomed herself thoroughly, picking out any stray bits of hay with her teeth. By the time the sun had risen all the way, turning the barn into a house of colors and dancing dust motes, Ravenpaw and Barley still had not returned. Kite sniffed the air once more. Their scent trails led out the door of the barn. Curious, Kite followed the trails. They wound down the hill on which the barn sat, towards the Thunderpath. Once they had gotten to the edge of the smelly black surface, the trails turned abruptly and ran towards the forest on the west side of the barn, away from the Clans' territories. Kite quickened her pace to a steady trot. The trails led through a thick, rocky forest, where the ground was sloped, uneven, and covered with sharp stones. Kite had to focus all of her energy on her paws to keep herself from getting cut by the rocks that stuck out of the ground at odd angles.

As the trails wound on, the rocks in the ground got larger, towering over Kite, seeming to close her in. The scent trails wound around the rocks. Soon, Kite heard the soft babble of a stream. She was tempted to pad down to the bank of the stream and take a drink, but she didn't want to lose the scent trails. Instead, she pressed on, keeping herself as close to the trails as possible. Suddenly, they veered to the right, out of the rocks and down toward the stream, where it had widened out into a large, swiftly-running river. Kite dashed down the slope and sniffed the air. A sudden moist feeling on her paws made her look down, and she realized that she was standing in a pool of dark crimson blood.

Kite screeched, reeling backwards into a stone. She hit her head and fell to the ground. She lay there for a moment, dazed, as she tried to gather her thoughts. It might not be Barley or Ravenpaw's blood. For all she knew, it could be a rodent's blood, or the blood of something they had eaten earlier. After a few moments, the ginger she-cat stood and padded back to the pool of blood, scenting the air once more for Barley or Ravenpaw. Their scent trails ended abruptly at the edge of the river. Now Kite felt a genuine bolt of panic pulse through her veins. Her head grew hot with fear, as it often did, and she began to pace back and forth.

_Follow the river,_ she told herself over and over again. _The river will lead you to them._ Kite nodded to herself and followed the river downstream.

--X

It was nearly sunset when Kite got to the end of the river. There was a spot on the grass which was moister than the rest, and the she-cat suspected that her two companions had exited the river here. She longed to try and find their scent trails again, but her stomach growled with hunger, and so she sniffed the air again, this time searching for prey scent. She caught the scents of several possible meals, and tried to screen through them to find the freshest scents. There was finch, water vole, and mouse, from what she could tell.

Kite finally decided that a nice, plump water vole was just what she needed, and set off to find it. She found the creature nibbling at a grass root near the river's edge. She dropped into a hunter's crouch, which she had also inherited from her mother, and stalked forward slowly, keeping her weight on her hind paws as best as she could. Just as she was a whisker length away from pouncing, the water vole looked up, saw Kite, and jumped into the river. Kite dashed to the water's edge, scooped the vole out with her claws before it could drown, and killed it swiftly. She grunted, upset that her meal was soaked, but sat down and gobbled it up ravenously anyway.

The taste of the water vole soothed Kite and opened her up a bit more. She looked around for the first time, much less engrossed in searching for her new friends. The trees, growing so close together, rose high above the she-cat's head, and their leaves made a canopy, protecting the wildlife below from harsh breezes. The rocks were full of gaping holes that probably served as dens for many wild creatures. Birds sang jubilantly from the lower branches of the trees. Each bird sang a different song, but they all blended together in a way that Kite couldn't quite understand. It was almost like a lullaby…

--X

Kite's eyes snapped open. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. She listened once more for the birdsong, but the birds were long gone. It was past midnight now, and the air had grown much colder. Kite shivered, longing to be snuggled up in her warm nest of sweet-smelling hay.

_Hay? Hay…Barn…Barley…Ravenpaw…Barley! Ravenpaw!_ Kite quickly made the connections in her head, and her day's journey returned in a rush to her: The intertwining scent trails, the pool of blood, the birds' lullabies. A stab of fear ripped through Kite's chest. She was alone in the forest in the middle of the night with no way to get home. She rose to her paws, ignoring the screaming protests of her sore limbs, and trotted along through the forest. It was up to her nose to relocate Barley's and Ravenpaw's scent trails once more. This time, she found them more easily. But they were intertwined with many, many more scents, scents that burned Kite's nose, making it hard for her to breathe. There was a splash, and Kite could smell the metallic reek of blood. She bit back a wail of terror. The thick canopy of leaves above her head didn't allow any moonlight to enter, and therefore it was pitch black. She had no idea of which way she was going, and so she plodded on blindly, through more pools of blood.

A sudden flash of bright light startled Kite, causing her to snap her eyes shut. The light was displeasing to her eye, but she tried to adjust to the brightness as quickly as possible. In the light she could see two small figures and several larger figures dancing around. More pools of blood. There was one figure, taller than all the rest, standing above them, waving its massive paw in the air and hooting in some familiar language. It was a Twoleg! And the group of large figures dancing around the two smallest figures were large dogs! The Twoleg seemed to be cheering the dogs on as they slaughtered the two small shapes. Kite ducked behind a rock and watched eagerly.

She had probably missed most of the battle, for soon after, one of the figures fell limp, and the other darted into the trees. The Twoleg gave a loud cheer and summoned the dogs, who trotted away obediently. The Twoleg left the light on and went into its nest, the dogs following joyously.

Kite darted toward the limp figure on the ground. She knew who it was before she got close enough, though she refused to accept it until she was certain. The figure was stained with dark red blood, but Kite could just see the tiniest hint of white fur underneath it all.

"Barley?" Kite whispered, drawing herself forward cautiously. "Barley, is that you?" Her voice broke in the middle of the sentence and trailed off. Barley's limp figure was surrounded by blood dripping from several large, deep wounds on his flanks, face, and limbs. His eyes were closed, and blood poured from under the lids. Had the dogs cut his eyes right out of his head, too?

"Kite?" the she-cat's head shot up at the sound of her name. Ravenpaw's lithe figure slunk silently out of the trees and came to stand by her side. "I'm sorry you had to see this, but…"

"Ravenpaw," the gasp made Kite jump in shock. "Ravenpaw," the voice repeated. It was Barley! He lifted his head weakly, his eyes opening. Kite cringed, looking away.

Barley's eyes were shredded up. His pupils had disappeared completely, along with his irises, and blood poured from the puncture wounds the dogs had left behind.

"Yes, Barley?" Ravenpaw asked, padding forward fearlessly.

"Keep Kite safe for me," Barley murmured. "Take her to Marcina's home. She'll let her in, I'm sure. When I'm gone…"

"You're _not_ going!" Kite cried suddenly. Ravenpaw's eyes widened at the she-cat's sudden outburst. "Ravenpaw," Kite snapped, whipping her head around to face the tom. "You know your way out of here, right? Good. Now, take the fastest route possible out of here. Get to ThunderClan's territory. Talk to Cinderpelt. Bring her and a warrior escort out here. Tell them it's urgent. I'll stay with Barley. Now go."

"But…" Ravenpaw protested.

"_Go!_" Kite yowled fiercely. She didn't like the frightened face Ravenpaw made, but she was satisfied by the effect it had on him. The young tom turned immediately and dashed away. Kite turned back to Barley. "It's going to be OK," she whispered softly to the old loner. "You're going to be fine, I promise. Nothing's going to hurt you. Not while I'm around. I swear on my life that you will not die. Not today."

Barley let out a soft mewl of protest as Kite grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him toward a rock, just out of the light's reach, with a hole in it. Kite inspected the hole thoroughly. It went down through the rock and into the ground a ways, and was covered by a thin layer of twigs and leaves at the bottom. There was no scent of any other animals that might be occupying the burrow, and so Kite hoisted Barley into the hole, setting him down gently on the bottom.

"I'm going to go get you some food," Kite whispered. "I won't be long, I promise. And I'll be close by, so if anyone comes near you, I'll protect you. Just focus on breathing. Rest your eyes, and try to get some sleep, OK?" Before the tom could protest, Kite turned and padded away.

Prey wasn't nearly as hard to find now that dawn was approaching rapidly. Mice scurried around in the undergrowth. Kite managed to catch three before she decided to go back to Barley's stone hollow. She dropped two mice down to him and ordered him to eat, since he hadn't been able to fall asleep. She watched him as he stretched his neck out, wincing, and took a small bite. Chewing seemed to be a pain for him, so Kite didn't pressure him to eat too much, just what he could.

By the time the sun had fully risen, Barley had dropped into a light sleep, his breathing ragged and shallow. Weary as she was, Kite refused to leave the loner's side until Ravenpaw returned. So instead, she watched the leaves blow in the light breeze that did not enter the thick forest. Little patches of sunlight forced their way through the leaf canopy, making little shapes on the ground. Dust motes danced in the light, reminding Kite of the barn, which had been her refuge not even a whole day ago. There, she had felt safe and protected, and now, she was sitting outside a stone hollow with a dying tomcat, waiting for a loner to bring back a group of Clan cats. If Kite were someone else, she would have laughed at herself, but she knew she couldn't leave Barley for dead. Not after he had given her shelter, even if only for a night.

--X

It was nightfall when Barley awoke again. "Kite?" he called out in a tired, strained voice.

"I'm here," Kite whispered.

"It hurts, Kite," Barley moaned.

"I know, I know," Kite mewed. "Don't worry, though. Ravenpaw's going to bring ThunderClan's medicine cat. She's going to get you cured."

"I can't see anything."

"I know."

"It's scary, Kite."

"I know. I promise, though, we'll make sure you live."

"I don't think I'll be able to live much longer. I can hardly breathe."

"You've got to hang on for just a while longer. I'm sure Ravenpaw will be back by tomorrow morning. And then all the pain will go away."

"Is there anything for me to eat?"

"Yes. I caught a finch while you were sleeping. I'm not hungry. You can have it." Kite grasped the finch by its tail feathers and dropped it in the hollow by Barley's paws. "There. Now, dig in."

"I'm so thirsty, Kite," Barley whispered, his voice gravely.

"I'll get you some wet moss later," Kite meowed. "For now, eat as much as you can and get some rest. You need to save your strength."

"OK," Barley meowed. "Thank you, Kite, for staying with me."

"I'll never leave you," Kite assured him. "As long as you need me, I will be there for you."

"Thank you."

Kite listened to Barley as he munched on the finch. She counted how many bites he took.

_1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9..._

After he dropped off to sleep, Kite counted his ragged breaths.

…_15...16...17...18...19...20...21...22...23...24...25..._

_This went on and on until finally she, too, dropped off to sleep._


	15. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Kite awoke at dawn the next morning to find a dark, shadowy shape standing above her. The forest was still dark, since the trees blocked out any light, so Kite was unable to tell who it was. The shape was fluffy, its tail flicking back and forth, and its two blue eyes glowed icily, even in the darkness.

"Kite!" the shape cried, pouncing on the she-cat. Kite tried to wriggle away, but the stranger held her down. "I'm so glad your friend decided to bring me to you! Now I can take you back to ThunderClan!"

"Glacier?" Kite mewed, finally squirming out from under the cat. "Glacier, I told you, I'm _not _going back to ThunderClan."

"My _name_ is Glacier_pelt_ now," Glacier muttered, shaking his pelt. "And you _have_ to live in ThunderClan. You can't just be wandering around in some foreign territory! Especially not when you're only a moon away from bearing kits!"

"Shut your trap," Kite snapped. "I can live anywhere I want! And besides, how do you know I'm pregnant?"

"Look at you!" Glacier cried. "Even though it's only been a short time, you've swelled up quite a bit! When your kits are born, they're going to need their father to look after them."

Kite snarled, narrowing her eyes. "You may be their biological father," she meowed. "But you'll never come anywhere near them!"

"Kite?" Another familiar voice called, Ravenpaw rounded the corner, his dark eyes frantic with worry. "Are you alright? How's Barley?"

"He's hanging on," Kite replied. "But I'm not sure how much longer he'll be able to stick around."

"Well," Ravenpaw meowed. "We're going to have to push our luck a bit. You see, there's something going on in the forest right now, and Firestar can't spare more than two warriors. He asked me to bring Barley to the Clan so the medicine cat and her apprentice could fix him up."

"He won't be able to make that kind of a journey!" Kite cried. "He's as good as dead if we try to pull a stunt like that!"

"What?" A third voice meowed. Ashfur, a light gray tom with darker flecks splattered across his flanks, stepped out from behind a boulder. "What do you mean? You can't just give up hope! Look, I brought some herbs that Cinderpelt gave me. They're supposed to give him enough strength to make a good portion of the journey." The tom dropped a bundle of herbs at Kite's paws. She picked them up and turned back to Barley's hollow.

"Hey, Barley?" Kite called, dropping the herbs at his paws. "How would you like to take a little trip?"

XXXX

It was sunset by the time the five cats came within view of ThunderClan's territory. Barley's strengthening herbs seemed to be wearing off. His eyelids drooped, and he was constantly complaining about the pain in his limbs.

"There should be a warrior escort waiting for us just past the boundary line," Ashfur meowed as they stepped over the border. They wandered through the forest for a bit before two young toms came into view.

"Sootfur! Rainwhisker!" Ashfur cried, bounding forward to meet his Clanmates.

"Shut your mouth!" the lighter gray tom hissed. "Do you want to get discovered? Now, come on. A large party like yours shouldn't be wandering through the forest alone. Especially not at night."

"What's going on?" Kite whispered urgently.

"A huge band of rogues was reported on our territory," Glacierpelt replied."Cats have been dying left and right. First it was Brightheart, then Whitepaw, and now Mousefur and Ferncloud, too. We've got patrols out all day and all night. Only the strongest warriors are allowed out of camp. Training's been cancelled for the apprentices until further notice."

"That's terrible!" Kite cried.

"Yeah," Glacierpelt meowed. "And there're no queens expecting kits. Only queen's Goldenflower, and she's too old to have kits. That's why I wanted you to come back to ThunderClan. So we could have more cats to train."

"Glacierpelt," Kite mewed. "As much as I'd like to help the cause, you know I can't stay. I need to go back to Tabitha, and Odin's probably worried, too."

"I know, I know," Glacierpelt murmured just as they reached the camp. "Well, come on. We've got to make sure Barley lives!"

Kite placed her tail on Barley's shoulder as soon as they entered the camp, guiding the blind tom into the medicine den, where Cinderpelt and Leafpaw had already made up a nest for him.

"He's here," Cinderpelt sighed. "Lovely. Are you all OK? Where's Ashfur? Did you get ambushed?"

"No, no," Kite mewed, helping Barley settle into the empty moss nest on the ground. "We were just fine."

"Well," Cinderpelt meowed. "You're the lucky ones." Her eyes clouded with greif, and she looked away for a moment, but quickly returned to reality. "Leafpaw," she meowed, turning to Kite's sister. "Get me some alder roots, willow bark, some chamomile, and anything else you can find. He might have a few broken bones, so get some comfrey, too."

"Yes, Cinderpelt," Leafpaw meowed, darting away to the back of the den.

"You should get some rest," Cinderpelt suggested, turning to Kite.

"I will," Kite replied, nodding. "But first, I've got a question for you." Cinderpelt's ears pricked curiously, and she turned her full attention on Kite. "Can you tell me if I'm...pregnant?"

Cinderpelt's eyes widened. "You're a bit young to be bearing kits," she meowed. "But, if you want me to."

Kite nodded, lying down in a spare nest on the other side of the room. Cinderpelt pressed her ear against the young she-cat's chest and listened. After a while, she began massaging her belly with her front paws.

"I believe you are," Cinderpelt replied when she was done. Kite groaned. "You should consider yourself lucky," Cinderpelt sighed mournfully. "I've always wanted to have a mate and kits. That's the only problem with my job, besides the fact that I don't get to participate in battles very often. I've had to keep my romances secret ever since I vowed to serve my Clan in this way."

"Romances?" Kite asked. "Are you having an affair?"

"What?" Cinderpelt mewed incredulously. "Me? What are you talking about?"

"You said that you had to keep your love for another cat secret."

"I said no such thing."

"You did so!"

"I'm not in love," Cinderpelt insisted. "I believe you have to go now. I'm sure your father is very eager to see you."

Kite sighed, but padded obediently back into the clearing. She found her father sharing prey with Sandstorm near the fresh-kill pile.

Sandstorm was the first to notice her daughter's presence. "Kite!" she cried, bounding over to rub muzzles with the young she-cat. "I'm _so_ glad to see you! How have you been? Are you hungry, or have you already eaten today? Did you get home safely? Where have you been?"

"It's nice to see you, too!" Kite purred. "It's fine. I'm not hungry. All I really want is to move into the nursery."

"The nursery?" Sandstorm asked, looking down at Kite's belly. "Why, you've certainly gotten larger! Are you sure you're..."

"Yes," Kite nodded.

"Well," Sandstorm meowed, her eyes lighting up. "Who's the lucky tom."

"Don't ask," Kite groaned.

"Is it Ravenpaw or Barley?" Sandstorm asked. "Because you _have_ been around them an awful lot."

"Sandstorm!" Kite hissed, embarrased. "They're just my friends. And the father is...in this Clan.

"Who?" Sandstorm prompted.

Kite sighed. "It's Glacier," she muttered softly. "I mean, Glacierpelt."

"_Glacierpelt_?" Sandstorm mewed. "Why, I didn't think he had it in him! Why did you choose _him_, though? He doesn't seem like the type you'd be interested in."

"Actually," Kite admitted. "He kind of chose me. And there was really no way I could refuse. Trust me, I tried."

"Well, I'm glad you've finally decided to settle down and start a family," Sandstorm meowed. "Shall I tell your father?"

"Later," Kite meowed. "I just want to get settled in first."

"Come on, then," Sandstorm meowed. "I'm sure Ferncloud's old nest is still good." Sandstorm led her daughter into the nursery, where she was quickly introduced to Goldenflower. The young ginger queen flopped herself into Ferncloud's old nest and closed her eyes to sleep.

XXXX

Kite was unsure of how long it had been since she had fallen asleep, but it was at least midnight when she opened her eyes again. The camp was silent except for a faint whisper near the back of the camp. Kite shifted slightly in her nest and strained to listen.

"I'm so glad you're safe," It was Cinderpelt who spoke.

"Don't worry," a deeper, more masculine voice replied. "I'm not going to lose myself to those mangy rogues."

"You'd better not," Cinderpelt's voice was light, teasing, almost. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Hey, I saw Kite today. Did you hear that she's pregnant?"

"Oh, Cinderpelt," the second cat purred. "You gossip like an elder."

"I'm a bit jealous of her, I have to admit. I just wish I weren't a medicine cat, so that we could settle down and start a family of our own, too."

"Did you happen to catch who the father is?"

"I heard it was Ravenpaw."

"Ravenpaw? You mean, the loner?"

"Yeah."

"But he's so much older than her. I'll bet she got raped by a rogue or something."

"That's a horrible thought!"

"It would be kind of funny, though. If you really think about it, I mean. 'Cause what if she got raped by one of the rogues attacking our Clan, and then she bore their kits. Then we'd kind of have an advantage, you know? We could use them as spies!"

"I don't think Kite would be willing to give up her kits, even if she didn't want to have them."

Cinderpelt was right, for the most part. She _had_ been raped, but she was unwilling to give up her kits to use as spies or anything like that. She closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 14

Sorry I haven't gotten around to replying to everyone's reviews

**Sorry I haven't gotten around to replying to everyone's reviews! I usually do, but I just haven't had the time! I'm busy and stuff, but I promise I'll reply to as many reviews as I can, OK?**

**Note: Towards the end, a good period of time is skipped. The reason behind that is because nothing much happens during that time frame. If need be, I'll write a few flashbacks to that time.**

Chapter 14

The next morning, Kite awoke early to go see Barley. When she entered the medicine den, Cinderpelt was sitting beside the tom's broken body, her eyes downcast.

"How is he?" Kite asked eagerly.

"I…" Cinderpelt looked up, grief clouding her eyes. "I don't think he'll live much longer. It appears he has several broken ribs, and they've probably punctured his lungs and heart by now. He's lost most of his claws, and his eyes are getting infected. We should probably just put him out of his misery."

"Ravenpaw wouldn't like that," Kite sighed. "You'd have to consult him before you go any further."

"I was up with Barley all night, trying to get him to fall asleep. I didn't leave his side until dawn." If Kite hadn't heard Cinderpelt's conversation with the mysterious tomcat last night, she might have actually believed the medicine cat. She seemed to be a very good liar.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat?" Kite asked. "Because I'd be happy to…"

"No, it's fine," Cinderpelt replied. "I'm going hunting today. Leafpaw's going to take care of Barley. In fact," Cinderpelt looked out of the entrance to the medicine den. Kite did the same. Glacierpelt, Ashfur, Rainwhisker, and another fluffy white tom whose name Kite didn't know stood waiting for the she-cat, flicking their tails anxiously. "There's my group. I'll see you later, Kite." With that, the she-cat padded away. Kite flicked her tail angrily. How dare Cinderpelt leave Barley in the hands of an apprentice in his time of dying? It was outrageous! Kite stalked out of the medicine den and into the clearing, where several warriors were munching on prey and sharing tongues.

"Hey, Kite!" Ravenpaw called from the group of warriors and apprentices. "Come and join us!" Kite padded over to join her friend. "I don't suppose you've met many of the ThunderClanners. This is Graystripe, the deputy, Mousefur, one of the senior warriors, Thornclaw, and Brambleclaw." He pointed to each of them with his tail, and they all mewed their greetings to her.

"So," Brambleclaw meowed. "You're Firestar's daughter, I hear."

"That would be true," Kite replied, dipping her head.

"What made you decide to leave the Clans?"

"I…I'm not quite sure," Kite admitted sheepishly. "See, I was only about three moons old when I left, and Clan life never really appealed to me."

"So you don't intend to come back?" Graystripe asked.

"It's never really…crossed my mind," Kite lied.

"Well…"Graystripe started, but was quickly cut off by Sootfur, who trotted up to the fresh-kill pile.

"Graystripe," he meowed. "It's urgent. We need you and as many warriors as you can take in the forest. Now. Bring Cinderpelt, too. We're going to need her."

"What's going on?" Kite asked.

"Whitepaw and Squirrelpaw," Sootfur replied quickly. "They were out in the forest alone, and they were attacked by the band of rogues. They're as good as dead if we don't hurry! Come on!"  
"Squirrelpaw?" Brambleclaw cried, his eyes growing wide with horror. "She's strong! She can't die, can she?"

"She will if we don't hurry!" Graystripe meowed. He turned to Kite. "You, go get Cinderpelt."

"She's not here!" Kite replied.

"Then get Leafpaw!"

"But we can't leave Barley behind!"  
"The lives of two Clanmates are more important than the life of one loner," Brambleclaw meowed harshly.

"That's a lie!" Ravenpaw yowled, slashing Brambleclaw's muzzle with his claws. "Barley's just as important as Squirrelpaw or Whitepaw! In case you didn't know, he's saved your Clan countless times! You owe him some respect!" Ravenpaw turned back to Kite, who was standing there, claws dug into the ground, eyes wide with fright as the tom's sudden outburst. "Leave Leafpaw to take care of Barley," he ordered.

Kite expected Graystripe to cut in, but all he said was, "Well then, we should probably go now." So they all turned and bounded into the forest, with Graystripe and Brambleclaw at the head, and Ravenpaw in the back. Kite dropped back to keep pace with the young loner.

"What was that all about?" Kite asked.

"Brambleclaw needs to watch himself," was Ravenpaw's reply. "Or he's gonna end up with one eye and no whiskers."

Kite had to admit, the thought of Brambleclaw one-eyed and whiskerless made her purr, though she was sure it wouldn't be a very pretty sight in reality.

It wasn't long at all before the patrol of warriors reached the site of Squirrelpaw's and Whitepaw's attack. Kite tried to restrain a squeal of fright at the sight of them. The two she-cats were sprawled across the ground, stained with their own blood. Their eyes were rolled into the backs of their heads, and both their mouths gaped open, as though frozen in a silent scream. Their limbs were splayed out in front of them, some bent in unnatural angles, indicating broken bones.

"Squirrelpaw!" Brambleclaw yowled, rushing forward.

"Be quiet!" Graystripe commanded, stepping in front of Brambleclaw and pushing him back into the ring the patrol had formed. "The rogues may still be lurking. Kite, you and Sootfur take the apprentices back to camp. Thornclaw, Mousefur, Ravenpaw, Brambleclaw and I will stay behind to patrol the area."

"OK," Sootfur meowed, dipping his head. He and Kite padded forward, each grabbing an apprentice, and headed off towards camp.

"Keep Squirrelpaw safe!" Brambleclaw called. Graystripe hushed him, and Sootfur and Kite carried on.

It wasn't long at all before the two of them reached camp again. Kite noticed Cinderpelt sharing tongues with the fluffy white tom, Ashfur, and a golden brown warrior by the fresh-kill pile. She looked up as Sootfur and Kite entered the clearing, and her eyes immediately widened until they were the size of moons.

"What happened?" she cried, darting forward to Sootfur.

"The rogues," Sootfur mumbled around Whitepaw's scruff. "We haven't checked them out for any serious injuries, but I'm afraid that they might die if you don't do something quickly."

"Don't…" Kite began, but was cut off by a sudden shriek of terror. It was Leafpaw. She darted toward Whitepaw and Squirrelpaw, her eyes clouded with grief. _Great,_ Kite thought. _I knew it would be bad to let Leafpaw see her sister like this._

"What happened?" she demanded, whirling on the warriors. "How could you let this happen to my sister? And what about poor Whitepaw? What did you do to them?"

"It was the rogues," Cinderpelt explained calmly. "Don't worry, young one. We're going to heal them as quickly as possible. Now, I need you to focus. What do we use to stop infections in open wounds?"

"Ummm…" Leafpaw paused for a moment, seeming to calm down a bit. "Goldenrod?"

"Very good," Cinderpelt nodded, meowed. "I need you to go get some goldenrod set up in the medicine den." As Leafpaw scampered off, Cinderpelt turned back to the fresh-kill pile and called for the white tom, whose name turned out to be Cloudtail, and the golden-brown tom, Brackenfur. The two of them carried the apprentices into the medicine den, and Kite turned and headed back towards the nursery.

"Wait!" Sootfur called as Kite padded away. The she-cat turned to face him, slightly confused. "I'm sorry I stressed you out. I know you're expecting kits soon, and I hope I didn't put too much strain on your little fluff balls." Kite purred at his affectionate reference to her kits. "Would you mind if I got you something to eat?"

"Thanks," Kite meowed, dipping her head. "That would be very kind of you."

"What would you like?" Sootfur asked. "Vole, mouse, squirrel?"

"Anything will do," Kite replied. "I'll be in the medicine den." With that, she trotted off to the small den at the edge of the clearing. Inside, Cinderpelt, Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and now Ashfur sat over the two apprentices. "Come on, come on!" Kite cried. The four cats looked up at her, obviously unaware of her entrance. "Give them some room to breathe!" Ashfur and Brackenfur backed up, but Cinderpelt and Cloudtail sat rooted to the spot.

"You do not tell me how to treat my patients," she meowed sternly as though Kite were a misbehaving kit.

"Squirrelpaw is my _sister_," I mewed. "I should have some say in what happens to her. And how's Barley?" Kite looked around the medicine den, only to find that all the other nests were empty. The she-cat's mind raced. Where could he possibly be?

"We moved him to the back so he could rest," Cinderpelt replied. "And I absolutely forbid you to go back there. Your presence causes him a good deal of stress. Every time your name is spoken, and whenever you enter the den, his heart starts pounding, even when he sleeps, and his limbs will twitch. He just needs to relax."

"OK, fine," Kite meowed, stalking out of the den. "I'll be in the nursery." As she re-entered the clearing, she saw the patrol returning to camp. Each cat wore a different expression: Graystripe was worried, Brambleclaw, was angered, Mousefur was sad, Thornclaw was eager, and Ravenpaw was frightened.

"Kite!" Ravenpaw cried, his expression quickly changing from fear to relief when he saw the she-cat. He bounded forward to meet her. "I'm so glad you made it home alright! We didn't see Sootfur when we came back, and we couldn't find you, either, so we assumed that you had been taken down, and we were about to send a search party back into the forest to look for you. Thank StarClan you're alright!" he licked her ear affectionately, and then pulled back when he realized what he had done. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I…"

"It's fine," Kite replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go back to the nursery. These kits aren't going to deliver themselves!"

--X

It had been nearly two moons since Squirrelpaw's and Whitepaw's injuries. Today, Squirrelpaw would be receiving her warrior name. Kite sat just outside the entrance to the nursery, her belly now extremely swollen, as the meeting commenced.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Firestar called. "This cat has trained for many moons, and, despite a few injuries in the past, has been unstoppable. Therefore, today, I call upon my warrior ancestors to welcome you as a warrior of ThunderClan. From this day forth, this cat shall be known as Squirreltail. StarClan honors your courage and energy. Tonight you will sit vigil in the camp."

"Squirreltail! Squirreltail!" the Clan chanted the new warrior's name. Kite watched as she went around, touching noses with every cat in her Clan, then sat down beside Brambleclaw, who probably planned to spend the whole night with the new warrior as she sat vigil.

Kite thought back to the time when Ravenpaw and Barley had been in the Clan. She began to long for them, especially her good friend Ravenpaw, who had sat with her all night when Barley died. The two of them had gone with the elders to bury his body all the way out by the barn in which he had lived, and Ravenpaw had decided to stay there rather than return to ThunderClan. Kite knew in her heart that she would never forget Barley's dying moments.

_"Barley!" Kite wailed, rushing at the frail tom. "Barley, please, don't go! I won't let you go! You need to stay! You promised you would help me name my kits, remember?"_

_"It seems I must break my promise to you, dear one," Barley wheezed. "Never forget me, dear one."_

_"I could never, ever forget you!" Kite meowed. "Please, Barley, stay!"_

_"Oh, how I wish I could," Barley sighed. "I'm sorry that I can no longer see. I just wish I could gaze upon your lovely face one last time."_

_"Don't speak," Kite begged. "Save your energy. You have to hang on. Come on, I'll get Ravenpaw. We could keep you alive. There has to be something back here that will keep you alive!" Kite regretted that Cinderpelt and Leafpaw had decided to accompany Firestar to the Moonstone that very night._

_"I…" Barley started, only to be cut of by Kite._

_"I told you to be quiet!" she cried. "You want to stay, don't you? Don't you want to stay with me? With Ravenpaw? With ThunderClan? Please, Barley, please!"_

_"Begging will get you no where," Barley meowed, a hint of humor in his voice. "Before I go, I must tell you one thing, and you must promise me this: You must promise that, no matter what you think of what I am about to say, you will be kind to Ravenpaw. For me."_

_"Ravenpaw is my friend," Kite replied. "I would never disrespect him."_

_"Good," Barley mewed. "Now, what I have to say, I promised I would never tell, and StarClan knows I'm terrible at keeping secrets. If I don't tell, I'll go absolutely bonkers." He purred weakly at this. "Anyway, I just need you to know that over the last few moons, Ravenpaw has developed feelings for you. He loves you very dearly. I just wanted you to know that before I passed."_

_"He…" she meowed. "He…_loves_ me? Huh. Imagine that. Ravenpaw, in _love_ with _me_! Isn't that something...?" A sudden gasp cut her off. It was Barley, he was flailing around again, like he had been doing on and off for a long time._

_"I have to go now," Barley whispered. "Remember, Kite, there are many cats in this world. And many bad things happen to many good cats. I just want you to remember to never lose hope, no matter what may happen to you. I will always be watching over you. Always." Barley let out a sigh, and was gone. Kite let out a mournful wail and buried her muzzle in his side, breathing in his scent for the last time._

Kite sighed, wishing she could wipe that memory from her mind forever. Just then, Sootfur padded up and sat down beside her.

"Those two sure are a funny couple, aren't they?" he asked, gesturing toward Squirreltail and Brambleclaw with a nod of his head.

"Mmhmm," Kite murmured. "But they are cute together, there's no denying that."

Sootfur sighed. "You're right," he meowed. "I wish I knew love like that. They look so happy together."

"They do, don't they?" Kite agreed. "Love like that is pretty hard to come across these days."

"It is," Sootfur agreed. "Hey, would you like to share a meal with me? It's OK if you don't want to. I just thought I'd offer."

Kite was about to reply, when a searing pain ripped through her chest. Her body convulsed, and she felt as though she would be sick.

Sootfur must have noticed her pained look, because he immediately meowed, "Oh my gosh, Kite! Are you OK? What's happening?"

"Get Cinderpelt," Kite ordered in a strained voice before turning and dragging herself back into the nursery. Goldenflower was in the medicine den today, since she was sick with a light cold, and didn't want to hark Kite, therefore the queen was all alone with no idea of what was going on.

It wasn't long at all before the medicine cat and her apprentice arrived in the den. "Are you delivering?" she meowed. "Here, quick, take these." She nosed forward a pile of herbs. Kite devoured them obediently. Sootfur shoved his way into the den and sat at Kite's head, stroking her ears with his tongue in an attempt to calm the queen. Kite was completely numb to the whole thing, following Cinderpelt's urgent orders to push harder or eat more herbs. Finally, one kit was delivered, and another was on the way. Cinderpelt nosed the kit toward Sootfur, who licked it furiously until it was clean, then nosed it toward Kite's belly, where it immediately began to suckle. This continued until five kits and one stillborn had been delivered. Kite didn't have time to mourn time the loss of her sixth kit, as Cinderpelt ordered Leafpaw to carry it away as quickly as possible, so its siblings would not catch any disease it might have been carrying.

After it was all over, Kite only felt one emotion, and that was love. Overflowing love for her kits, whether she had originally wanted them or not. She loved every single one of them dearly.

"So, what will you name them?" Sootfur asked eagerly as his eyes swept over the kits.

Kite shrugged, then took a good look at each of the kits.

The firstborn was a tiny white she-cat with a very pink nose. She was still suckling for milk, furiously shoving away her siblings as they all tried to search for something to drink.

The second kit was a rather large black tom with a white tail. This cat reminded Kite of Ravenpaw. For a moment, she wondered why the cat was black, then remembered Glacier's parents, when they had still lived in the Twoleg nest with Glacier. His mother was black, and his father was white. This kit seemed to resemble Glacier's mother more than his father or himself.

The third kit looked the same as the first kit, a small white she-cat, but with one ginger paw. The fourth kit, a tom, was ginger-furred with one white paw, almost exactly like Squirreltail. The fifth kit, also a tom, was probably the smallest of the group. He was a black-and-white tom who was shoveling his way toward his mother's belly. She watched with amusement as the young kit shoved his oldest sibling away and took over suckling milk.

"I think I'll name the first kit Snowkit," she meowed. "The second kit I'm going to call Nightkit, and the third kit will be Gingerkit. The fourth kit will be named Talonkit. And the fifth one…" she trailed off, staring down at the fifth kit. He look so much like Barley. She had another name in mind for the kit, though, and she opened her mouth to say it, but what came out was, "Barleykit."

"You're naming your fifth kit after Barley?" Sootfur asked. "I thought you'd at least name Nightkit after Ravenpaw, since he loved you so much."

"Jealous much, Sootfur?" Kite asked teasingly.

"Yes, actually," Sootfur admitted. "Very much so."

"You know I never said I felt the same way about him," Kite meowed.

"I know," Sootfur sighed. "But…The way he looks at you, and the way you look at him…It's just so…" He trailed off, gazing down at his paws. "I'm going to go now. I'll have Brackenfur bring you something to eat."

Kite sighed as her friend padded away from her. She longed to reach out to him, to tell him everything would be alright, but she knew that he would want to be alone, so instead, she bent down and groomed her kits until they each fell asleep, one by one.


	17. Chapter 15

I feel as though the last chapter was a bit rushed, so I apologize if anyone else felt the same way

**I feel as though the last chapter was a bit rushed, so I apologize if anyone else felt the same way!**

**Enjoy! **

**P.S. I plan on winding up this story soon, so this will be one of the last chapters.**

Chapter 15

Two dawns after the birth of her kits, Kite began to settle into the nursery permanently. She did not leave except to make dirt on occasion, since Sootfur would bring her prey two or three times a day. On the third day, just when Kite thought she would be alright, Glacierpelt turned up in the entrance to the nursery.

"Hello, my love," he meowed, leaning down and licking Kite's ears. She flinched, and her kits started. Snowkit mewled angrily, having been shaken from her spot in the curve of her mother's belly, where she had been feeding.

"Don't touch me," Kite snarled.

"Oh, come now, my love," Glacierpelt meowed, purring. "Don't be like that. I've come to see my kits."

"They're not your kits," Kite meowed.

"Why, of course they are, silly she-cat!" Glacierpelt mewed. "Are you going to keep me from seeing my own kin?"

"Yes," Kite snapped.

"I thought I'd taught you not to disobey me," Glacierpelt meowed, narrowing his eyes. "I suppose I was wrong."

"Leave her alone!" Sootfur's all too familiar voice sounded from behind Glacierpelt's muscular frame. He shoved his way into the den until he stood at Kite's head, then turned to face Glacierpelt. "She told you to stay away, so stay away."

"Step off!" Glacierpelt ordered, baring his teeth in the beginnings of a snarl.

"She doesn't love you!" Sootfur cried.

"She doesn't love you, either!" Glacierpelt countered.

"Yes she does!" Sootfur insisted. "Don't you, Kite?" he asked, turning to face the she-cat. Kite shrugged, let out an irritated grunt, and turned away.

"Now, don't be like that, dear one," Glacierpelt meowed smoothly. "Didn't I ever teach you how to respect toms? Sootfur," he went on, turning to the tom. "I think you could have some fun with this one. I'll give you her for tonight and tomorrow if you wish. There's enough of her to go around."

"Who will give her kits milk?"

"We'll figure it out."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kite cut in. "So you're just going to toss me around like some…some kitten toy? That's outrageous! Sootfur, I thought you were above that kind of behavior."

But the toms ignored her completely. "It's a deal then," Sootfur meowed. He turned to Kite. "Come along, dear."

"_No!_" Kite screeched. Barleykit's head shot up, and he looked around, though his eyes were still shut. "I am not going with either of you. In fact, I'm leaving. And I'm taking Barleykit with me." She reached down, grabbing her youngest kit by the scruff, and bounded out of camp.

--X

It was sunset when Kite finally came within the vicinity of Ravenpaw's barn. She had greatly regretted leaving ThunderClan on a whim. She was aching all over from the pain of traveling a great distance without food or water just after giving birth, and it was obvious the strain of the journey was equally shared with Barleykit. But as soon as she saw the barn, she sped up, darting across the open moor, and ducking into the door.

As soon as she entered, Kite set Barleykit on a bale of hay and called out, "Ravenpaw? Ravenpaw! It's me, Kite! I'm here now! I'm back!"

"Kite?" Ravenpaw's familiar head shot out over the ledge of the hay loft, and in an instant he was down on the barn floor beside her. "Oh, Kite! How have you been? It's been so long, hasn't it? How's the Clan? Did you have your kits?"

"I'd rather not talk about my Clan life," Kite replied. "But here. Look at this." She stepped aside, revealing Barleykit, who was squirming around on the bale of hay, whacking the air with his paws.

Ravenpaw gasped in wonder. "Why, is this your kit?"

"I have four more back in ThunderClan," Kite replied. "But I couldn't leave Barleykit behind."

"You named him after Barley?" Ravenpaw asked.

"Well, yes," Kite replied. "I feel like Barleykit has a bit of Barley in him, though they're not related. I brought him here so you didn't have to lose your friend forever."

"Thank you," Ravenpaw sighed, bending down and licking Barleykit's tiny pink nose. "So, are you just going to leave?"

"Of course not!" Kite replied. "He's only a few dawns old. I'm not just going to leave him behind."

"He sure looks hungry," Ravenpaw observed. "Why don't you feed him? I'll go hunting for the two of us."

"That would be great," Kite mewed, crawling onto the bale of hay, where Barleykit immediately snuggled into the curve of her belly and began feeding. Ravenpaw purred, his eyes full and bright with joy, and ducked out of the barn door.

Kite waited until nightfall for Ravenpaw to return. During this time, she napped, played with Barleykit, and watched the stars through the holes in the roof of the barn. While she was sitting on the bale of hay, Kite thought of her family and friends, the ones she had left behind when she had run from Glacierpelt.

She wondered how Tabitha was, and if she had had a litter of kits. She had told Kite that she was a housecat that was used for breeding. She would have a litter of kits, and then they would be sold. Then there would be another, and within two dawns they were all gone. According to Tabitha, she had delivered five litters so far, and the total amount of kits she had given birth to was seventeen: Five in the first litter, three in the second, four in the third, two in the fourth, and three in the fifth.

And then there was Odin. How was he? Had he finally found a she-cat to call his? Odin had always told Kite stories of how he longed for a mate, but could never find one. Even now that he was too old to have kits, he longed to be with someone for the rest of their lives.

And Rain. Had she gone to live with a Clan? Kite thought she might fit in best with ShadowClan. She was best at hunting when it was pitch black, and she was the best hunter in the Twolegplace. She slept all day and stayed up all night, and she was always getting into some wacky scheme that usually ended up being foiled by one of her seven brothers, who had been moved to another Twoleg's home some time before Rain had escaped to ThunderClan's territory. Maybe…

"Kite?" Ravenpaw's soft call broke off Kite's train of thought. The black tom with the white-tipped tail padded into the barn, his whiskers twitched. The only prey he carried was one scrawny mouse.

"You're back," Kite sighed in relief.

"This was all I could catch without straying onto Clan territory," Ravenpaw murmured sheepishly. "See, since it's getting close to leafbare, all the rats in the barn have gone back to their burrows. Here, you can have the first bite." Ravenpaw placed the dead mouse on the bale of hay. Kite leaned down and took a small bite, then gestured for Ravenpaw to help himself. The two of them shared the prey bite by bite until, all too soon, it was gone.

"Thank you," Kite murmured as she licked her lips, searching for any scraps of leftover mouse.

"No problem," Ravenpaw replied. "How's Barleykit?"

"I think he's fallen asleep," Kite replied, looking down at her youngest kit.

"Well, I'll let you two get some rest, then," Ravenpaw meowed. As he turned to go back up into the hay loft, he waved his tail in farewell. Kite mewed a soft goodbye after him, and closed her eyes to rest.

The next morning, Kite was awoken by two tiny paws kneading her jaw. The queen opened her eyes slowly to see Barleykit, his eyes wide open, sitting in front of her. His eyes were a clear, almost glassy blue, just like his father's. Kite hated the resemblance, but was overjoyed that her kit had finally opened his eyes. The kit opened his mouth and mewed one soft word.

"Play,"

"You want to play?" Kite asked. The kit's blue eyes lit up with joy, and he nodded his head vigorously.

"Isn't he cute?" Ravenpaw meowed, padding in through the door of the barn. Kite jumped. She had been unaware of the tom's presence. "I taught him some basic words this morning, while you were still sleeping."

"That's wonderful!" Kite cried. "Thank you so much, Ravenpaw!"  
"Barleykit's a fast learner," Ravenpaw meowed.

"Barleykit!" Barleykit mewled, pointing to himself with his tail.

"That's right!" Kite mewed. "You're Barleykit! And I'm your mother."

"Kite!" Barleykit cried, leaping toward the queen. She gasped, feigning shock as the kit rammed into her side, and she fell onto the ground to maintain the illusion.

"I think we've got a great fighter on our hands!" Ravenpaw purred.

Barleykit purred, too, licking his paw and drawing it over his ears as he sat back down on the hay-covered ground. "I win," he said, his tiny chest swelling with pride.

"You did win, didn't you?" Kite meowed, licking Barleykit's ear gently. "I'll bet you could take on anyone in the forest! Even ShadowClan doesn't stand a chance against you!"  
"ShadowClan! ShadowClan!" Barleykit chanted.

"Ravenpaw?" Kite meowed, looking back to the loner. "Would you mind watching Barleykit while I take a quick stroll? I won't be long, I promise."

"Alright," Ravenpaw replied. "But be careful. There's been a sighting of a group of rogues on the edge of WindClan's territory. They haven't made any moves to advance on them, but I'd still be cautious if I were you."

"Kite!" Barleykit called as Kite padded out the door. Kite turned as Barleykit bounded up to her, a bit wobbly on his short, knobby legs, and nuzzled her leg. "Love you," he mewed.

"I love you, too." Kite whispered, licking Barleykit's ears once more before turning and striding out the barn door.

Kite wandered along the Thunderpath by Ravenpaw's barn until sunhigh, then turned and headed toward WindClan's territory. She trotted through the dry moorland grass until she came to a small hole in the ground that smelled of dirty cats.

"Hello?" Kite called, poking her head into the hole. In an instant, two toms darted out of the hole and dragged her in before she had a chance to scream.

Once she was inside the hole, she was immediately flipped onto her belly, and seven toms encircled her. One jumped on top of her, holding her by the scruff. Kite yowled in protest as he dug his claws into her back.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You don't smell like you belong to WindClan."

"I…" Kite stammered. "I was just talking a quick walk. I didn't mean any harm in coming in here!"

"Then you don't tell anyone about this, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The cat on top of Kite let go of her, and she darted out of the hole in the ground and raced back to the barn, not slowing her pace until she reached the door.

Once she arrived, she took a moment to calm herself and catch her breath before padding in to meet Barleykit and Ravenpaw, whom she found wrestling together on the floor of the barn.

"Kite!" Ravenpaw cried happily, immediately stopping his play fight with Kite's youngest son. He sat up, and Kite tried hard not to laugh at the sight of him. His eyes were wild with excitement, and hay was stuck in his fur. The parts of his fur that weren't tangled up in hay stuck up in different directions. "I think Barleykit might just be the best fighter I've ever seen." The loner winked slyly, then turned back to Barleykit. "Kite's back! Are you hungry?"

"Hungry!" Barleykit mewed, his head bobbing up and down happily.

Kite padded over to the bale of hay on which she had slept the night before, and jumped up onto it. Barleykit rushed after her, running headlong into the hay. He stuck there, his head submerged in hay, his body hanging in the air like a dead bird tied to a tree by its neck. His tail flicked back and forth in frustration. He braced his forepaws against the bale of hay, trying to free himself from the hay bale, but instead, his paws sank in, too.

Ravenpaw purred, padding over to the kit. He grabbed Barleykit gently in his mouth and pulled him out. Barleykit squealed in fright, trying to squirm out of Ravenpaw's grasp. But as soon as he was set down beside Kite, he licked Ravenpaw's nose.

"Ravenpaw," he mewed. Then he turned and wandered over to where Kite lay, and began suckling. Kite sighed, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes.

"We missed you," Ravenpaw meowed.

"Hmmm," Kite replied.

"I'm glad you decided to come back when you did," Ravenpaw went on. "I was starting to run out of things to do with a kit like Barleykit."

"Mmhmm," Kite sighed, shifting slightly.

"I think I'll let you nap, then," Ravenpaw murmured. Kite didn't open her eyes, listening to Ravenpaw's footsteps as he padded away. After a while, she dropped off into a light sleep.

Kite opened her eyes. She stood in ThunderClan's camp, surrounded by cats. Was she dreaming? There was Ashfur, Sootfur, Rainwhisker, Firestar, and Graystripe. Each of them were staring at Kite, and all of them had one blue eye and one green eye. They were all chanting something unintelligible, though none of them were moving their lips. Kite snapped her eyes shut, trying to block them out.

After a while, another cat shoved his way into the circle. It was Odin, his deep brown eyes greatly contrasting the blue and green eyes.

"Odin!" Kite cried, leaning forward to rub muzzles with him, but he disappeared into the air quite suddenly. "Odin?"

"Kite," Odin's voice rang loud and clear through the air, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"_Odin!_"

Kite's eyes flew open. She was lying on the bale of hay on which she had fallen asleep. Barleykit was curled up asleep in the curve of her belly. Ravenpaw was sitting in front of her, gazing longingly at her figure. She noticed him before he noticed her. When he finally did realize that she was awake, he looked away sheepishly, clearly embarrassed.

"I got worried," he murmured. "You were mewling in your sleep. Did you sleep alright?"

"I was dreaming," Kite replied. "But I'm not sure what it was about."

"Well, was it a nice dream?"

"No. It was…horrible." Kite shuddered.

"Well, I think I'll go hunting for you, so you can calm your stomach, too." Ravenpaw rose to his paws before Kite could reject, and bounded out of the barn, leaving her all alone.


	18. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It was just past sunrise when Ravenpaw finally returned. He had with him one rabbit and two finches.

"Sorry I took so long," he meowed as he set his catches on the ground. "I wanted to find more than just mice this time."

"That's quite alright," Kite replied. "Barleykit's certainly glad to have you back." As she said this, Barleykit leapt off of the bale of hay, raced over to Ravenpaw, and nipped his tail with his tiny teeth.

Ravenpaw purred. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Kite replied, sliding off the haystack and biting into one of the finches. She spat out a mouthful of feathers to get to the meat, watching in amusement as Barleykit leapt at the stray feathers and ripped them to shreds. Ravenpaw nibbled lightly on the other finch in silence until it was gone. Then he sat back and groomed his fur.

After Kite finished her finch, she lay down on the ground and looked into Ravenpaw's eyes. "Ravenpaw," she meowed.

"Yes?" Ravenpaw replied.

"I've been thinking," Kite began. "Since you've been alone in this barn for a few moons, would you like it if, once he's been taught how to hunt and fight, if I left him here with you?"

"You mean you're just going to leave him behind?" Ravenpaw asked.

"I do need to go see my other kits," Kite replied.

"But you don't have to leave forever," Ravenpaw meowed, his tone edging on a desperate plead. "You could go get your kits and bring them here. I know a few cats who would gladly help you out."

"As do I," Kite replied. "I'm sure Odin would help me carry a few kits. And maybe Tabitha and Rain, if she hasn't gone to join a Clan yet…"

"So, it's set, then," Ravenpaw meowed. "We only need two more cats. I can bring one and you can bring one. We'll all meet outside of ThunderClan's territory at moonrise. Once the nursery is secured, we'll sneak in and take them."

"I've got a better idea," Kite meowed suddenly. "But you'll have to wait and find out what it is."

--X

It was sunset when Kite and Ravenpaw went their separate ways. Barleykit had been given a very large dose of poppy seeds to keep him from straying from the barn while they were gone. Kite darted along the Thunderpath, very eager to find Odin. She knew that he would help her do anything.

The Twolegplace wasn't far off at all. Once she reached Odin's fence, which was the first fence on the west side of the row of gardens, she leapt up and back down into his garden, which she had not visited for the longest time. She found Odin asleep under a new tree in the corner of the garden.

"Odin!" Kite hissed, prodding him with one paw. "Odin!"

Odin opened his eyes and gasped. "Kite!" he cried. "No, no, no, I _must_ be dreaming still. You left us a long time ago. You died on the Thunderpath! You…"

"I'm very much alive," Kite replied. "I need you to help me. Recently, I had five kits with Glacier against my will, and they're in the ThunderClan camp. I need you to follow me so I can tell you exactly what my plan is."

It didn't take much persuasion to get Odin to agree to help, though he still seemed a bit undecided about the fact that Kite was not dead. The two of them plodded through ThunderClan's territory in silence until they came to the wall of ThunderClan's camp, where Ravenpaw and a strikingly beautiful she-cat stood in wait.

"Great!" Ravenpaw cried. "You're here! This is Mist. She's going to help you rescue your kits."

"Hello," Mist, a dainty gray tabby she-cat with dazzling icy blue eyes mewed. Odin purred, looking away shyly. "How many kits are in there?"

"Four," Kite replied. "My fifth kit is back at Ravenpaw's barn. Now, here's how the plan's going to work:

"First, I'm going to pad into the camp like everything's alright. Hopefully, someone will see me and shoo me into the nursery where my kits will be waiting. Now, you three are going to sneak around to the back wall of the nursery. I'm going to make a hole in the wall of gorse and pass the kits through to you. I'll exit through there, too, and then we'll leave as quickly as possible. Got it? Great. Now, let's go!"

Ravenpaw nodded and led the rest of the group to the other side of the camp wall. Kite sucked in a breath to calm her racing heart, and ducked through the entrance. She emerged into the clearing a moment later, and was immediately spotted by none other then Sootfur himself.

"Kite!" Sootfur cried, darting forward and licking Kite's ear, waves of relief washing off of him. "Oh, I'm _so_ glad you're OK! Come on, your kits are worried about you!" The tom immediately led Kite into the nursery and put her back into her nest where her four once-abandoned kits snuggled up against her instantly.

"Go to sleep now, Sootfur," Kite whispered. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"OK then," Sootfur replied. "I'll come in to check on you at dawn." After that, he was gone, leaving Kite all alone. She waited until it was completely silent. Then, she stuck her paw through the gorse wall, digging a small hole in it, and stuck her head out into a small, secluded area, where Odin, Mist, and Ravenpaw crouched in wait.

"Nightkit's coming through," she hissed, sliding back into the hole, grabbing Nightkit by the scruff, and depositing him on the other side of the barrier. Odin grabbed him, pulling the tiny black kit under his belly and wrapping his tail around him protectively.

"Now Gingerkit," Kite mewed. She picked up the she-kit and dropped her in front of Ravenpaw, who copied Odin's protective stance around the kit. "Snowkit." Snowkit was dropped in front of Mist, who licked the she-kit between the ears comfortingly. "I'll bring Talonkit through now." Kite picked up Talonkit gently, so that he wouldn't make a sound, then squeezed herself through the hole in the gorse. As soon as she was all the way through, Odin and Ravenpaw went to work patching up the hole the queen had left behind.

After they had finished, the four of them started off in a steady trot toward Ravenpaw's barn once more. Each of them carried a kit by its scruff, and each kit was mewling and squealing in protest. It was a constant struggle to keep the kits silent. Kite and Mist would try to entertain them by pointing out objects on the other side of the forest or pointing to silly-looking clouds in the night sky.

It worked, but only for a short while. Luckily, though, by the time the kits started up their chorusing wails, they were almost to the barn.

Kite tried hard not to snap at her kits as they mewled angrily. She was too tired to deal with them at the moment, though, so she took a deep breath through her nose and plodded on.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before Ravenpaw muttered the words, "We're back."

Kite was overjoyed. It took all her strength not to dart back into the barn and fall asleep next to Barleykit. Instead, she padded on alongside Mist, who looked exhausted. Kite was about to offer to take the kit off her paws, when she remembered she was carrying Talonkit already.

Before long, they were all safe inside the barn. Barleykit was still asleep on the haystack where they had left him before. The four older cats dropped the kits on the ground, and they all darted over to Barleykit's resting place.

"Barleykit!" Snowkit squealed.

"Come down!" Gingerkit called.

"Brother!" Talonkit cried, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"They certainly look happy," Mist sighed, licking a paw and drawing it over her ears. "Tell me, Kite, how do you keep it together with five kits to look after?"

Kite shrugged. She honestly had no idea what it was that held her together.

"Would you mind if I stayed the night, Ravenpaw?" Mist asked, turning to the loner.

"Me, too," Odin piped up. "I haven't the strength to return home tonight."

"There's plenty of room for all of you," Ravenpaw replied. "Come on, you two. I'll show you the loft."

Kite turned back to her kits as the three cats padded off toward the hay loft. Talonkit had managed to clamber up onto the top of the bale of hay, and was leaning down, the now awake Barleykit putting all his weight on his brother's hind paws, trying to help their siblings up. Kite purred in amusement as Talonkit grabbed Nightkit by the scruff and tried to pull him up. The two of them, followed by Barleykit, promptly fell back to the ground.

Kite padded over to her kits and placed them onto the bale of hay, one at a time.

"Play?" Barleykit begged as Kite set Snowkit on top of the bale of hay.

"Not right now," Kite replied. "It's late, and your siblings just got here. Why don't you let them rest? You can all explore the barn in the morning."

"Barn!" Talonkit squealed, his tail flicking back and forth in excitement.

"We wanna play now!" Nightkit, clearly the most articulate of his brothers and sisters, meowed.

"No," Kite repeated firmly. "It's time for you to sleep."

Nightkit groaned, but they all cooperated, piling on top of each other and quickly falling asleep in a multi-colored bundle of fur.

As soon as she was sure her kits were asleep, Kite made a small nest for herself out of the hay on the ground. The hay was a bit old and dirty, but it would have to do for the time being. Kite lay down on the small pile and closed her eyes. She slowed her breathing to a regular pace and focused on the beat of her heart, a tactic she often used when she was unable to sleep. She lay there for what seemed like an eternity, breathing in and out, listening to her heart beat, and she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. She tried thinking of things that made her happy; something Tabitha had told her to do after awakening from a nightmare. This didn't put her to sleep, either.

By the time Kite decided to take a walk, the stars were just beginning to disappear, and the moon was slowly setting. Kite wondered silently if ThunderClan had noticed her absence yet, or if they would discover the truth in the morning time. Either way, Kite knew that Glacierpelt would most definitely lead a search part after her and the kits. It was inevitable. Glacierpelt was relentless, refused to give up, a quirk he had demonstrated when they both still lived in the Twolegplace.

What was it that had made Firestar accept Glacierpelt so easily? He didn't look like the kind of cat who knew how to hunt or fight, but he must have been good at those things if he had been offered a permanent place in the extended family of ThunderClan. And what did Glacierpelt find so appealing about Clan life? Was it the fact that everyone hunted for the warriors? Or maybe he wanted to take more than one mate? What else could he possibly want?

Kite couldn't imagine herself as being a ThunderClan cat. Being trapped under the trees all day stalking stupid mice and the occasional less-than-intelligent bird. Kite didn't want to be confined to the oh-so-strict rules of the warrior code. She wanted to be free to do what she pleased, rather than serve one cat who was supposedly better and higher up then all the rest. Kite didn't believe that that was the way the world should be run.

A sudden rustle in the bushes caught Kite's attention. She sniffed the air, hoping it was mouse. The scent that registered in her brain, though, made her stiffen with fear. It was ThunderClan! And there were several cats, too. Sootfur, followed by Firestar, Sandstorm, Leafpaw, Squirreltail, and finally Glacierpelt, stepped out of the swath of bushes before her.

"Firestar?" Kite mewed. "Sandstorm? Squirreltail, Leafpaw, Glacierpelt…Sootfur." She ran through all of their names. Normally she would have been happy to see any of them, but tonight, she would rather jump in front of a monster than face her family.

"We've come to rescue you," Squirreltail meowed, a hint of pride in her voice. "The others thought you were killed by a bear or a rogue or something, but _I_ knew that you had been taken by those rogues. I saw them! They were taking your kits, too!"

"Where are they keeping you?" Glacierpelt demanded angrily. "I swear, if any one of them so much as touches you, I will rip their pelts off! All of them!"

"I don't need you to defend me, _Glacier_," Kite spat, using the warrior's kittypet name as a taunt. Glacierpelt's eyes narrowed, and he snarled. Sootfur promptly stepped in between the two cats, trying to keep a fight from breaking out.

"Kite, dear," Sandstorm meowed. "Your Clan needs you. They need you to raise your kits to become strong warriors, since there are no queens left."

"I'm not going to become a kit machine," Kite growled, whipping around to face her mother.

"Do not speak to Sandstorm like that!" Firestar meowed. "Now, I am your father, _and_ you leader. I _could_ force you to come home, but, as a father, I'm begging you, Kite, _please_ come back to us."

"Yeah!" Glacierpelt meowed. "Sootfur and I talked, and we both agreed that you could take _him_ as a mate if you wanted to."

"I don't love either of you!" Kite cried. "I love…" Images danced in her mind's eye: The day she traded her own little world for reality, her first meeting with Barley and Ravenpaw, Barley's heroic fight against the pack of dogs, Ravenpaw's cold, bitter expression the day Barley died, the way Ravenpaw had so openly welcomed Kite after she had deserted him…

"I love Ravenpaw," she hissed. "And…and he loves me! We're happy together, and I don't want to be a part of ThunderClan, or _any_ clan for that matter! Can't you just accept that?"

"Well, Kite," Firestar meowed, pain and crushed hopes undisguised in his expression. "If you're…happy…I suppose we'll just leave you…" The leader's voice broke, and he trailed off. He flicked his tail sullenly, and he and the rest of Kite's family turned their backs on her and padded away.

"Kite!" A sudden hiss from behind the she-cat made her turn. Leafpaw bounded up to her. "Just remember, Kite," Leafpaw whispered. "I understand what you're going through. If you ever decide you need to talk to someone, I'll be here waiting."

"Thank you, Leafpaw," Kite mewed, licking her sister's ear. "You should go now, before they miss you."

"I'll be ready for you if you ever decide to come back," Leafpaw mewed before turning and darting back into the bushes.

Kite sighed, watching the bushes quiver from the friction her sister had caused between the leaves. Could she really admit her love for Ravenpaw to the tom himself? And if she did, would he accept her? All those moons ago, Barley had told Kite of Ravenpaw's love for her, but did he still feel the way he had once, all those moons ago?

"Only one way to find out," Kite murmured to herself. She turned her back on the bushes once more and padded back to the barn. The she-cat was apprehensive as she poked her head through the entrance. Her five kits were still asleep, though Barleykit had rolled off the top of the pile and was now on the edge of the bale of hay, and Snowkit and Talonkit were on the ground just below the haystack. Kite padded along silently and hopped up into the hay loft, landing with a soft thud at the top. Ravenpaw's eyes shot open. When their eyes locked, Kite's gut wrenched painfully, making her wince. She had never felt this way before, but she could immediately place a name to the feeling: Love.

She had known what to expect, but she had never known that it would be so painful. "Ravenpaw?" she whispered. "Ummm…Can I talk to you? You know, alone?"

"Sure thing, Kite," Ravenpaw whispered back. He stood, shaking the hay off of his pelt, and leapt down from the hay loft. Kite promptly followed.

The two of them walked in silence for a while, just staring at their paws. Kite would occasionally shoot a glance at Ravenpaw, and she often found him staring back, then the both of them would look away tensely.

"Ravenpaw," Kite said finally, seating herself beside a swath of heater. "There's…something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Ravenpaw asked, his eyes filled with concern at the tone of Kite's voice.

"When Barley died," Kite began. "He told me that you…that you loved me. And I've been thinking since then, but it hasn't really occurred to me until now. I _love_ you, Ravenpaw, I really, _really_ do! And I want us to be together forever. Please, Ravenpaw, please! I _do_ love you."

Ravenpaw looked down at his paws. "Well, Kite," he meowed. "To tell you the truth, when you stayed in ThunderClan, I thought you didn't love me, and I was devoted to waiting for you, but…You see, while you were in ThunderClan, I met Mist, and she and I fell madly in love with each other. She…She's carrying my kits, Kite, and they're due any day now."

"Oh." Kite's gut wrenched again. She felt like she had been stabbed, hit in the face by a raging monster. How could this have happened to her? It was clear that any tom who laid eyes upon Mist would fall in love with her, which Kite knew. But _she_ had fallen in love with _Ravenpaw_, too?

"Are you…OK?" Ravenpaw asked, resting his tail on the she-cat's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Kite snarled, flinching away from him. She rose to her paws angrily. "And all this time, I thought you were my friend! I thought you'd wait for me, Ravenpaw! I knew you loved me, and _you_ knew you loved me! You can't deny that much! How could you do this to me? You broke my heart, Ravenpaw! I hope Mist leaves you for another tom, and you die from heartbreak, like me! _I hate you_!"

In her sudden burst of rage, Kite raced away from Ravenpaw, back to the barn. She wanted so desperately to leave the warm, sweet-smelling building forever, but she couldn't leave her kits behind. She would take them all with her. Yes, that's what she would do! She would convince her kits that she was playing a game with them, and she would lead them all back to ThunderClan! She would apologize to her family, plead for their forgiveness, and mate with Sootfur like the good daughter she was supposed to be.

When she reached the barn, Mist and Odin were standing by the bale of hay, blocking the way to Kite's kits. Ravenpaw stood in front of them. Kite's eyes widened. How had he gotten back so quickly?

"Kite," Ravenpaw whispered. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. Things happen, and I can't change that. Please, please stay. I don't want to lose a friend because of a little crush."

"A little _crush_?" Kite spat furiously. "You _loved_ me! Being in love with someone and crushing on someone are two completely different things! Now, get away from my kits. We're going back to my _real_ family, back to cats who _really_ love me. Maybe I should have stayed with Sootfur in the first place, rather than run off to this stupid place!" Kite stalked forward, shoving the three protective cats to the side. She woke up each of her kits and beckoned for them to come.

"What's going on, Mommy?" Nightkit asked. "Where are we going?"

"We're going back to ThunderClan," Kite replied. Come on, then. Get your brothers and sisters, and we'll go."

"OK," Nightkit mewed. He proceeded to relay this bit of information to his siblings, and in a heartbeat, they were all down on the ground, padding over to their mother.

"If you really want to leave, then we won't stop you," Odin murmured.

"Good," Kite snapped. "Don't even try." With that, she turned, summoning her kits with her tail, and padded away from her three friends, who were now three of her worst enemies.

--X

By the time the sun had risen, all five kits were exhausted and begging for a break. Kite obediently lay down and let her kits drink her milk. They all suckled from her furiously, until, one by one, they filled their bellies with milk, and slumped back to the ground. Kite decided to teach her kits how to hunt. She caught a small rabbit, demonstrating how to snap its neck just the right way, and then dug in, because she, too, was ravenously hungry.

When she was done, and after her kits had licked scraps of the rabbit's meat off of its bones, they continued on their journey. Kite talked to her kits constantly, telling them about the things in the forest.

"See? Look! That's a monster, over there on the Thunderpath. Never, ever go on the Thunderpath if you can help it. The monsters will run you over in a heartbeat, and they never listen to us. That is probably the most dangerous place a cat can go. And look, over there! That's a finch. They live mostly in ThunderClan territory, so that means we must be getting close. Finches are nice to eat, but their feathers get stuck in your mouth sometimes, so you should always pluck off the feathers before you eat, unless you're starving."

"What's that smell?" Snowkit asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh!" Kite cried. "Well, that's the ThunderClan border. That means we're here! Come on; let's see if we can't find a patrol to help us get back home."

Before they could find a patrol, though, they found the camp itself. Gingerkit and Talonkit did not hesitate to dart through the entrance, followed by Nightkit, Snowkit, and Barleykit. Kite ducked in after them.

"Go on into the nursery, now," she instructed. "Tell Goldenflower I'm with Firestar."

As her kits bounded away, Kite padded into the leader's den. "Firestar?" she called. "It's me, Kite. I'd like to speak with you."

"Come on in, then," Firestar meowed. Kite nodded and ducked through the lichen that was draped over the entrance to the leader's den. "Are you back for good, Kite?"

"Yes, Father," Kite replied, settling herself onto the sandy ground of the den. She refused to meet her father's gaze, instead focusing on her paws, which were hard to see in the darkness of the den. "I would most certainly like to say that I am never going to leave again. I understand that you, Glacierpelt, and Sootfur have arranged plans for my life?"

"Yes," Firestar replied. "Glacierpelt is very concerned about your well-being, and so he has come up with a plan for you: You will take Sootfur as a mate, raise your kits, whose mentors have already been decided, and you will have another litter of kits with Sootfur. Tonight, you will be given your warrior name, but your training shall not begin until after you have raised Sootfur's kits into apprenticeship. You will be trained by Rainwhisker and Squirreltail when the time comes."

"OK," Kite meowed, dipping her head respectfully, though the whole idea of having a completely planned out life seemed a bit foolish to her. "Would you mind, though, if, when you give me my official warrior name, you could change the prefix? I really don't want my name to be 'Kite-whatever'. The name Kite holds too many painful memories, and shedding that name, hopefully, will ease the pain of those memories."

"If that is what you wish," Firestar replied. "Now, then, you should go find Sootfur. You will mate with him immediately."

"If that is what you wish, Father," Kite replied.

"I'm going hunting," Firestar meowed. "So you can use my den to mate if you wish. But please, don't mess it up too much. Sandstorm likes to clean, but it will upset her if she has to clean more than is necessary."

"Yes, Father," Kite mewed, ducking out of the den. She padded less than eagerly over to the warrior's den, where Sootfur lay in his nest, flicking his tail sullenly. As soon as he saw Kite, though, his eyes lit up, and he darted over to her. "Kite!" he cried. "You're finally back for good!"  
"I've been briefed on my position in this Clan," Kite meowed. "Firestar said we could use his den for mating."

"Great!" Sootfur meowed, twining his tail with hers. "Let's go!" The eager tom dragged Kite into the den, where he immediately sat her down on the ground. "Now," he meowed, walking around Kite in a slow circle. "I understand you've never willingly done this before, and you may be a bit uncertain of what to do, but trust me, I'll show you how it's done."

Kite squeezed her eyes shut as Sootfur positioned himself on top of her. She tried desperately to block out the searing pain she felt, not only physical, but emotional as well. She hurt all over from her journey, and her heart was bruised and torn from all the emotional pain she had undergone in the last day or so. She became numb to her surroundings, trying to focus on her kithood, when she hadn't a worry in the world. A sudden memory flashed in her head.

_"Kite!" Glacier called, chucking the crisp-looking red apple at her. "Catch it by the stem!"_

_Kite leapt up in the air, feeling her teeth snag the flesh of the apple rather than the stem. It tasted sweet, almost too sweet. She promptly spat it onto the ground. The two-moon-old kit was used to many sweet things: The sweet flavor of the cream her housefolk gave her, the sweet scent of the air on a new leaf day, the sweet little tom kit that lived next door, the one she was now playing catch with, in fact, but the sweetness of the apple was just too much to handle._

_"Now it's your turn!" Kite mewled, grabbing the apple by the stem and tossing it as far as she could. It landed a whisker-length away from her._

_"Nice toss!" Glacier taunted jokingly._

_Kite hissed. It was an airy, empty hiss, but it was enough to get Glacier to turn tail and run away. Kite purred with contentment. Hissing was just another thing she was better at than Glacier._

The bittersweet memory was over all too soon. Luckily, though, by the time she was done thinking about it, Sootfur was done mating with her.

"Did you enjoy that?" Sootfur asked.

"Very much so," Kite lied, faking a dreamy, content tone of voice.

"Great!" Sootfur mewed, bending down and licking Kite's ear. "I love you, my dear."

"I love you, too, Sootfur," Kite lied again, licking the tom's nose lovingly.

"Shall we go get something to eat?" Sootfur suggested. Kite, suddenly realizing how hungry she was, nodded and followed her new mate out to the fresh-kill pile.

The clearing was anything but empty. Whitepaw, whose injuries at the paws of the rogues were so horrible that she could not complete her warrior training, was limping happily toward the medicine den, a rather large bundle of herbs hanging from her battered and broken jaw. Squirreltail and Brambleclaw, who had just returned from a hunting patrol with Rainwhisker, Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Dustpelt, were padding off in the direction of the warrior's den, probably to take a nap. Graystripe and Brackenfur were chatting animatedly with Sorreltail, who had been made a warrior not too long ago. Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw were sitting by the fresh-kill pile, sharing a mouse and vole between themselves.

Kite sat down, feeling rather drained, beside Sootfur, who had already selected two rather plump mice.

"Might as well eat the plumpest mice you can find," Sootfur meowed, nudging one mouse toward Kite. "Since leafbare's going to be setting in pretty soon, and you don't want to get too thin."

Kite nodded absently and nibbled lightly at the mouse, deciding to take her time with the meal, though it was gone all too soon. As soon as she was done, she rose to her paws and excused herself to the nursery. Just outside the small den, she found Gingerkit and Talonkit in a play fight, while Snowkit and Nightkit were sunbathing. Barleykit was crouching by a fallen leaf, preparing to pounce on it. The kits took no notice of their mother as she padded wearily into the den and plopped into her nest.

Not long after, Cinderpelt entered the den with a few herbs in her mouth. The first thing Kite noticed about her was that she had gotten a lot larger since she had last visited the medicine cat, which was when Barley died.

"How are you doing today, Kite?" Cinderpelt asked.

"I'm doing very well, thanks for asking," Kite replied, resuming her dreamy, contented tone of voice.

"Well, that's lovely," Cinderpelt meowed. "Now, I need you to take some of these herbs to help you produce milk for your kits."

"Alright, then," Kite meowed, bending down and licking up the herbs obediently.

"Where in StarClan's name did you and all of your kits disappear to?" Cinderpelt asked curiously.

"I'd rather not discuss that right now," Kite muttered, dropping her I'm-so-happy façade. "And who did you mate with since the last time I saw you?"

Cinderpelt's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" she meowed.

"Oh, come on," Kite mewed. "Your stomach's swelled up! It looks like you swallowed a cloud! How much longer do you think you can keep up this charade? The Clan's eventually going to find out that you're bearing some unnamed tom's kits."

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Cinderpelt mewed.

"As StarClan is my witness," Kite replied. "I would never do something like that, I assure you. I don't have time to go around ruining other cats' lives. I need to focus on what's important, rather than dwell on what I think I need."

"Well then," Cinderpelt mewed, sitting down beside Kite. Her voice lowered to a whisper, and she said, "I've always been in love with Cloudtail, and he mated with me the first time, but we were unable to have kits together, so we broke it off, and then I fell in love with Ashfur, and, well, now…"

"_Ashfur_?" Kite mewed. "_Ashfur_ is the father of your kits?"

"Yes," Cinderpelt whispered. "You _have_ to keep it a secret, though! _Please_, Kite, I'm _begging_ here!"

Kite was about to reply, when the loud, familiar yowl of Firestar rang throughout the clearing.

"Cats of ThunderClan! Please gather beneath the Highrock for a very important Clan meeting!"

Kite and Cinderpelt hauled themselves to their paws and padded out into the clearing. Kite, knowing what was about to happen, padded to the front of the group of Clan cats that had already gathered.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this cat," Firestar began once his whole Clan had gathered. "Though she has not been so sure of her place in this Clan before, she has promised to give her all to us and to you, and therefore, we are gathered here today to give her a new name. By her request, her name shall be shed and changed completely. From this day forth, this cat shall be known by all of StarClan and ThunderClan as Emberclaw. StarClan honors your devotion and courage."

"Emberclaw! Emberclaw! Emberclaw!" The Clan cheered. Emberclaw simply looked down at her paws, ashamed, lost, and confused.


	19. Chapter 17

**OK, I know Chapter 17 was horrible, so I'm going to re-write it now! Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one a whole lot more than the last.**

Chapter 17

Since Emberclaw would not begin warrior training for some time, she was not required to sit vigil. Instead, she spent the day in the nursery. She watched as Barleykit and Snowkit wrestled in the sun in the entrance of the nursery. Nightkit and Talonkit were trying out a hunter's crouch, which Glacierpelt had taught them shortly after Emberclaw's name ceremony. Gingerkit was busy grooming herself in the sun just outside the nursery.

Emberclaw wondered why her father had arranged the way she would live her life. Did he not trust her? It was understandable, considering she had run away from him more than once. Was it Sootfur and Glacierpelt's idea? Were they afraid that Emberclaw would go back to Ravenpaw if she was given the chance?

_Ravenpaw._ The name sent a shiver down Emberclaw's spine, and her mind's eye left the nursery and flickered momentarily to the last time she had seen his face. Countless emotions overwhelmed his expression: Hatred, regret, feat, heartbreak, lust, longing, sadness, fury, and many other emotions Emberclaw was too young to have experienced yet. For a moment, she wondered why she had fallen in love with a tom so much older than she was. After all, he was old enough to be an elder. Mist was closer to his age, anyway.

A voice found its way into Emberclaw's head. A voice she really didn't want to hear. It was Odin's voice. Her mind's eye danced back to her kithood once more. She and Odin were sitting on the fence, staring up at the stars.

"_Odin," Kite mewed. "When do you suppose I'll find my true love?"_

_Odin purred. "Now, now, dear," he replied softly. "You still have many moons to go before you're old enough to really worry about that kind of thing. But trust me, when you find him, you'll know right away." Odin paused for a moment, looking down at his paws, then turning to gaze at Kite. "Did I ever tell you about Pumpkin?"_

"_Pumpkin?" Kite repeated the foreign word slowly. "No, I don't recall."_

"_She was my first mate," Odin replied. "We met when I lived with another family of Twolegs. See, they had many, many housecats, and they took me and Pumpkin in at around the same time. Oh, I remember when I first lay eyes on her. Why, it was love at first sight! From the first time she and I locked eyes, we were inseparable._

"_Two moons later, she gave birth to two beautiful, healthy kits. We named them Snowy and Patches. We were the happiest family ever, it seemed. Then, one of the Twolegs got in a monster and never returned, and the second one was devastated. He stopped feeding us, and slowly, the rest of the housecats started wandering away, until it was just Pumpkin, our kits and I who were left. The kits were three moons old by then, and Pumpkin wanted to get out and show them the world outside the house. So, they went out for a day in the forest. Pumpkin was so overjoyed. She wanted to show them everything she knew about. I offered to come, but she wanted me to rest. I was getting slim those days, letting my mate and kits eat most of the food that we found." Odin paused and took a deep breath, then looked back to his paws._

"_And then what?" Kite asked._

"_Pumpkin got hit by a monster," Odin said flatly. Kite gasped. She took one look at Odin's face and couldn't bare to look at him again. His face was a battleground of hatred and sorrow. His eyes were scrunched up as though he were trying not to cry and failing, and his face was twisted in the most horrid of ways._

"_That's horrible!" Kite cried._

"_Yes," Odin replied. "Yes, it is. Snowy and Patches were attacked by an out-of-control dog about a moon later. It seems like I fell apart in those two short moons. I've been trying to rebuild my life all these seasons, but there will never be a she-cat like Pumpkin. And you know what? You look exactly like her. And that's why I've been trying so fiercely to protect you. Ever since I lay eyes on you, Kite, it feels like Pumpkin's still there. I think she sent you to me so that I wouldn't lose faith. I can still see that sparkle of spirit she had in your eyes. Please, Kite, whatever you do, don't lose that spirit."_

_Kite and Odin were silent for a moment. Finally, Kite mewed, "Were you and Pumpkin the same age?"_

"_No," Odin replied. "I was seventeen moons older than her."_

"Seventeen moons_?" Kite mewed in disbelief._

"_Age is but a number," Odin replied. "And besides, true love knows no bounds."_

"_Oh," Kite meowed, looking down at her paws and letting Odin's story soak in. "I promise I'll never leave you, Odin. I'll keep Pumpkin around for the rest of your life if you want."_

"_Thank you," were the only words Odin spoke._

_Emberclaw sighed as she returned from her reverie. Maybe Ravenpaw was her true love. Maybe he wasn't. But how would Emberclaw ever know? They were separated now. There was no way he would forgive her after the way she stormed off before._

_And she had given up on Odin, too. She had promised to be the reincarnation of his true love, the one who kept his flame burning. She had left him too many times. Now, she had to go find him. Or, rather, since she could not leave camp, she would send someone to find him for her._

_Just as Emberclaw had finished forming this thought, Squirreltail trotted into the nursery and settled down in an empty nest. She dropped the mouse she had been carrying in her jaws and looked over to her sister._

"_Hey, Emberclaw!" Squirreltail mewed. "I hope you don't mind me staying here. I'm having Brambleclaw's kits soon!"_

"_Congratulations!" Emberclaw meowed halfheartedly. "Hey, do you know if Thornclaw is available?"_

"_Oh, yeah," Squirreltail replied. "Sure! He just got back from a hunting patrol. Why are you asking?"_

"_I need him to do a favor for me," Emberclaw replied._

"_Why not just ask Glacierpelt or Sootfur?" Squirreltail suggested._

"_They wouldn't agree," Emberclaw insisted. "Trust me. This is something only Thornclaw is capable of doing."_

"_OK then," Squirreltail meowed. "If you insist." Squirreltail rose to her paws and trotted back out to the clearing. A moment later, she and Thornclaw returned._

"_Hey there, Emberclaw!" Thornclaw mewed cheerily. "What is it you need me to do?"_

"_Go to Barley's barn," Emberclaw replied. "Bring back Ravenpaw. Do it as quickly as possible. Don't ask questions. Tell Firestar you're going on a hunting trip. If you're fast enough, you'll be back before the Clan misses you. Now, hurry!"_

"_Um, OK…?" Thornclaw meowed, but turned and darted out of camp._

"_What was that all about?" Squirreltail asked._

"_I'm going to make things right with Ravenpaw," Emberclaw replied._


	20. Hiatus?

**Hey, peoples! I've decided that, for personal reasons, and the fact that homework is a ***** lately, I'm going to put this story on hiatus. Hopefully, though, it won't be for long! I think I may update one or two of my other stories in the meantime, and start developing ****Love Kills Slowly****.**

**Also, I've re-written chapter seventeen, for those of you who felt it wasn't quite up to par. So, erm…Enjoy! =)**

**- Blazey**


	21. Chapter 18

**-gaspeth- Could it be? Blazey is back from hiatus? No way!!!! Yup, I'm back! I finally got the computer back, and in celebration, I thought I'd type up two or three chapters to fill you guys in. Enjoy! =)**

Chapter 18

The next night, it snowed, coming down in heavy drifts upon the ThunderClan camp. Kits and apprentices squealed with delight as they played in the white wonderland, completely oblivious to the cold. Emberclaw sat in the entrance to the nursery, Squirreltail and Brightheart on either side of her.

"I'm worried," Brightheart fretted as she watched the young cats frolicking in th snow. "What if one of them falls and gets hurt?"

"Don't worry about it, Brightheart," Emberclaw mewed, reassuringly placing her tail on Brightheart's shoulder. "They'll all be just fine."

"Have you seen Thornclaw?" she murmured suddenly. "He's been gone since about sunhigh, I think. I hope he's not caught in this snowdrift. It would be simply impossible to navigate."

Emberclaw had not forgotten about Thornclaw and his trek to Barley and Ravenpaw's barn. She too, was very worried about him, and prayed to StarClan that he would return safely with Ravenpaw. But she could not tell Brightheart this, or she would surely go to Firestar. So, instead, she lied, "No, I haven't seen him. He's probably out hunting or something like that. I'm sure he'll be home before moonhigh."

"That's a long time," Squirreltail commented, glancing meaningfully at her sister, who simply shrugged.

"It's hard to tell north from south when everything's covered in white."

Squirreltail nodded absently, turning her attention toward the camp entrance as Brambleclaw padded in, his tail high in the air and his ears pricked.

He caught sight of his mate a moment later, and beckoned her over with a flick of his tail. Squirreltail looked toward Emberclaw and Brightheart for approval.

"Oh, go on," Emberclaw mewed. Brightheart nodded in agreement.

"Thanks!" Squirreltail called over her shoulder as she bounded away.

Brightheart sighed. "They're so happy together," she murmured. "I wish Cloudtail and I were like that."

"Aren't you already?" Emberclaw asked, picturing her white-furred cousin and Brightheart strolling through the forest, tails intertwined, purring to a made-up rhythm.

"He hardly ever goes hunting with me now," Brightheart replied dejectedly, hanging her head. "And he doesn't sleep next to me as often. In fact, he hardly ever comes in before moonhigh." Brightheart glanced sideways at Emberclaw. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Emberclaw meowed firmly, pressing her muzzle into her friend's shoulder. "He's just a bit spirited is all. He's probably out hunting for his Clan whenever you're looking for him. Maybe you should just try to tag along on his hunting trips more often."

"B-but," Brightheart stammered. "What if he f-found…someone else?"

"Brightheart!" Emberclaw gasped. "Cloudtail loves you! He wouldn't do that to you!"

"You're right," Brightheart sniffed, raising her head once again as Cloudtail entered the clearing, a plump mouse hanging from his jaws. "I'll go see if I can eat with him. Thanks, Emberclaw!" Brightheart licked Emberclaw's ear happily before bounding away to join her mate.

Emberclaw sat alone for a long while after that, her heart aching for someone she could truly love. Someone like….No. She wouldn't make herself think his name. He may not even want to show up after what she had said to him back at the barn. She couldn't risk getting her hopes up if he was unwilling to forgive her.

Eventually, it warmed up and a heavy rain began to fall, washing away most of the snow, and freezing the rest. Grumpy, wet kits and apprentices slid back into their dens to sleep.

"I can't believe it!" Talonkit cried. "The first snowfall of the season, and it doesn't even stay overnight. What a bunch of mouse dung!"

"Talonkit!" Emberclaw cried in shock. "Never use that term!"

"Well, I'm glad it's over," Gingerkit mewed as she licked her icy fur. "My pelt was turning to ice!"

"You're such a…" Talonkit started, only to be cut off by a reproachful glance from Nightkit. "Sorry," he muttered, his tail drooping.

"You had all better get to bed," Emberclaw instructed. "I don't want you to be tired tomorrow morning. Someone special may be coming over to visit."

"Who?" Barleykit cried, bouncing from paw to paw eagerly. "Who, who who? Is it Ravenpaw?"

Emberclaw sighed. "I don't know," she replied forlornly. "Maybe. Now that the snow's cleared away, there's a better chance, but you never do know…"

"Oh," Barleykit muttered, turning and padding over to the nest, where his littermates were already piled on top of each other, half-asleep. He curled up beside Talonkit and closed his eyes, shivering with cold. Emberclaw padded out into the rain, scanning the camp clearing. No one else was out. Quietly, she made her way into the medicine den, where Leafpool was busy sorting herbs.

"Oh!" Leafpool cried when she saw her sister. "Hey there, Emberclaw! What are you doing in here? Wouldn't you much rather be inside the nursery, away from all this rain?"

"I came to get some more moss," Emberclaw replied, licking her paw and drawing it over her muzzle and ears. "My kits are getting cold."

"Oh," Leafpool mewed. Let me get that for you." She wandered silently to the back of the den and began clumping together bits of moss.

"Where's Cinderpelt?" Emberclaw asked, her gaze sweeping the empty den.

"Oh." Leafpool was suddenly particularly engaged in her work. "She's…out. Gathering herbs, I presume. I'm sure she'll be back before long."

"Is she with Ashfur?" Emberclaw prompted. Leafpool's head shot up, and she whipped around to face her sister.

"You know?" she whispered. Emberclaw simply nodded. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" Emberclaw shook her head this time. "Do you plan on it?" Another head shake.

"Relax," Emberclaw meowed. "Can I get my moss before my kits freeze their pelts off?"

"Right," Leafpool mewed, gathering up the rest of the moss and rolling a ball of it across the den to Emberclaw, who grabbed it in her teeth and left without a word of farewell. Emberclaw returned to the nursery hurriedly, where she then tore apart the moss and wove it around her now-sleeping kits. Then, she settled down behind them, so that they were all snuggled inside the curve of her belly, and fell asleep.

_"Kite," a voice cried. "Kite, where are you? Kite?"_

_Emberclaw opened her eyes and looked up. She was in a field that didn't look like anywhere she'd ever been, but it somehow felt very familiar. Just ahead of her was a lump of wood and bricks and shattered glass._

_"Kite?" the voice sounded again, this time from underneath the pile of debris._

_"Who's there?" Emberclaw demanded, rising warily to her paws._

_"Kite," the voice moaned, this time coming from behind her. Kite whipped around to find a broken, battered body lying before her. Kite rushed to the cat's side and leaned toward it. The face felt familiar, but its muzzle was so smashed up that she couldn't tell. The cat's pelt was spattered with blood and covered in rubble, so it was impossible to tell what its true color was._

_"I'm here," Emberclaw mewed. "Who are you?"_

_"Kite," the cat moaned again, coughing up blood. "Kite, help me."_

_"Odin!" Emberclaw screeched, suddenly recognizing the voice. She gaped in horror as she examined her friend's broken, beaten body. "What happened? Who could have done this to you?"_

_"Kite," Odin moaned. "It was you. You left me. Pumpkin left me. You could have saved her. You could have brought her back. You could have…" Odin coughed up more blood, and Emberclaw jumped back a tail length._

_"I…I didn't mean to," she mewed. "I didn't mean to leave. I-I had to, Odin. Y-you've got to understand! I…"_

_"Kite," another voice wailed. Emberclaw whipped around again, to find a cat's head sticking out of the rubble. Emberclaw dashed to the cat's side and tried desperately to dig it out of the rubble._

_"I'm sorry," Kite mewed. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I…I don't know who you are, but I'm really, really s-sorry!"  
"Kite," the voice moaned._

_"Ravenpaw?" Emberclaw mewed back. "Ravenpaw! Oh, Ravenpaw, please don't go! Please don't die! I'm so sorry!" She tried desperately to dig his body out of the rubble, but the heavy debris pile wouldn't budge a whisker length._

_"Emberclaw?" a third voice meowed from above her. Emberclaw looked up, but couldn't see anything except a cloudy, pale sky. "Emberclaw, wake up! Come on, get up!"_

_"Kite," Ravenpaw and Odin moaned together._

"_No_!" Emberclaw screeched, flailing her paws in terror as her eyes snapped open. Cinderpelt was standing above her, looking rather concerned.

"A-Are you OK?" Cinderpelt asked. "I…Barleykit and Snowkit came to me and complained that you were squealing in your sleep, and I came to check on you. I… I think you should g-get up now."

Emberclaw sat up and looked around her once again. She was back in the nursery. Just outside, the pale leafbare sunlight was shining down on the icy ground outside, where her kits squealed and slid along the ground with the apprentices.

"Oh," Emberclaw mewed, shaking her pelt. "I…I guess I was just having a bad dream. A bad…terrible dream…. And what about you? Where were you and Ashfur last night?"

Cinderpelt glanced apprehensively at Emberclaw. "D-did you notice?" she gestured to her belly, which was now back to its normal size.

"You already had your kits?" Emberclaw gasped softly. "W-Well, w-where did they go?"

"I took them to ShadowClan," she admitted, shamefaced. "Littlecloud promised he'd find a queen to nurse them. I just couldn't bring myself to tell Firestar about them."

"How many were there?" Emberclaw asked. "What are their names?"

"Well," Cinderpelt replied. "There was just one of them. I named her Heartpaw. She has Ashfur's face, and her fur is like mine. It's very long for a newborn kit, though. She's very beautiful, and I truly do wish that I didn't have to give her up."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Emberclaw meowed, licking Cinderpelt's shoulder reassuringly. "I hope Littlecloud gave her to a kind, deserving mother."

"I'm sure he did," Cinderpelt replied. "He's a good friend of mine. He knows how much I care for kits, even if he doesn't know she's my own."

"Well…"

"Emberclaw!" a familiar call cut the she-cat off before she could continue speaking, and Thornclaw bounded into the clearing. Emberclaw kept her eyes trained on the camp entrance, hoping to see Ravenpaw's sleek figure following. He did not show.

"Thornclaw?" Cinderpelt looked up. "I'll leave you two alone," she meowed, turning and darting away.

"Where's Ravenpaw?" Emberclaw hissed eagerly.

"He…" Thornclaw started. "Oh, you're going to hate me for this!"

"Spit it out," Emberclaw ordered. "Where is he?"

"See, we were about to reach the ThunderClan border," Thornclaw started again. "When Ravenpaw slipped on the ice and fell into the Thunderpath. Then, a monster came by and tried to swerve out of the way, but it spun and its back paws crushed him! He was alive, but I didn't have the herbs to save him. I came back to get Cinderpelt, but she just left, so…"

"What?" Emberclaw cried. "He…he got hit by a monster?"

"What?" Cinderpelt echoed, her mouth full of various herbs. "Where is he? I saw your face and assumed you needed something, so I…"

"He's still by the Thunderpath," Thornclaw replied. Come on!"

"Who's by the Thunderpath?" Firestar demanded, padding up behind Cinderpelt and Thornclaw.

"Ravenpaw," Emberclaw replied. "There's no time to explain. You need to get Graystripe, Brambleclaw, Squirreltail, Leafpool, and Mousefur and bring them to Ravenpaw. Cinderpelt, get all the herbs you can carry and come with us. We'll be by the Thunderpath. Come on!" Before Firestar could say anything, Emberclaw flicked her tail, and she, Cinderpelt, and Thornclaw darted off into the icy forest.


	22. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Emberclaw dashed through the forest, Thornclaw at her side, eager to find and rescue Ravenpaw. To keep herself distracted from the horrible reality that she may never see Ravenpaw again, she went over her apology in her head until she could have recited it in her sleep.

"Ravenpaw, straight ahead!" Thornclaw called. Emberclaw shook her head and skidded to a stop on the ice beside Ravenpaw's battered figure.

"Kite?" Ravenpaw coughed. Emberclaw gazed down upon her friend, pity flooding her heart, but she could do nothing about it.

"Y-Yes," Emberclaw stammered. She wanted to tell him that she had taken on a new name, but decided that he could call her what he wanted. "What happened? Where are you hurt?"

"My back paws, my chest, and my tail hurt the most," Ravenpaw informed the queen.

"Cinderpelt's here," Emberclaw mewed, licking Ravenpaw's ear reassuringly. "Don't worry. We're going to make sure you get better as quickly as possible."

Cinderpelt stepped forward and crouched beside the weak loner, sorting frantically through her herbs. She chewed them up into a pulp and spat them onto the open wounds on Ravenpaw's flanks, legs and tail. He winced in pain, and Emberclaw flinched, wanting so badly to turn and flee, but finding herself too weak to listen to her screaming limbs; it was fear and despair that kept her rooted to the spot.

"His hind legs are shattered," Cinderpelt reported. "Even if we can save him, there's no way he'll be able to walk again."

A heartbeat later, Firestar, followed by Graystripe, Brambleclaw, Leafpaw, Squirreltail and Mousefur darted onto the narrow, icy ledge beside the Thunderpath.

"How bad is it?" Graystripe asked worriedly as he examined his old friend's crippled body.

"Back legs are shattered," Cinderpelt repeated. "A few minor wound; one large split in his flank. No broken ribs, but his tailbone is snapped in the middle. It's a clean break, though, so it should be able to heal. Can't say the same for his legs, though." The medicine cat worked diligently as she spoke, pressing cobwebs into the wounds and trying to splint his legs and tail with reed-like plants.

Once she had finished the last splint, Leafpaw asked warily, "H-how will we g-get him b-back to camp?"

Cinderpelt thought for a moment, then replied, "Graystripe, Brambleclaw, Firestar, Thornclaw; I need you four to take Ravenpaw back to camp. Be slow and careful. Emberclaw, Leafpaw, Mousefur, head on back to camp and tell the Clan what is happening, but not too much. Just tell them that Ravenpaw is returning to ThunderClan for a while and not to worry about him when he arrives."

Leafpaw and Emberclaw nodded and dashed off, followed by a slower, less enthusiastic Mousefur.

It wasn't long before the three of them arrived in camp. Brightheart and Cloudtail were sharing a meal by the fresh-kill pile, Sootfur, Rainwhisker, and Brackenfur were leaving for a hunting patrol, and Shrewpaw, Spiderpaw, and Whitepaw lay lazily outside the apprentices' den.

"Hey!" Mousefur yowled. All action in the camp immediately stopped. Every head shot up and stared at Mousefur, eyes wide. "We have something to say!" She bounded up onto the Highrock, followed quickly by Leafpaw and Emberclaw.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Emberclaw meowed. "We would like to announce that Ravenpaw, the loner who was once a part of our Clan, will be coming to stay with us for a while." Gasps and murmurs rippled through the gathering crowd of cats.

"Yes," Leafpaw went on. "We must warn you, though, he is in very bad shape, and you mustn't make a big deal out of it. Cinderpelt and I are taking care of it." More murmurs and questions rippled through the crowd as the three she-cats leapt down from the Highrock.

A moment later, the whole patrol, Ravenpaw's broken body with them, slipped through the entrance tunnel. Yowls of shock and horror rose into the air, mostly from older cats that knew Ravenpaw. The apprentices skittered away into their dens, and Birchkit, Hollykit, Larchkit, and Emberclaw's kits poked their heads out of the nursery den to see what was happening, their eyes bright and eager. The patrol crossed the clearing without a word and entered the medicine den, trailed by shouted questions.

"What's happened to Ravenpaw?" Frostfur demanded.

"Is he dead?" Dappletail cried.

"Who's that?" Shrepaw asked.

"Can I touch his leg?" Talonkit begged.

Emberclaw returned to her den, followed by Ferncloud, who had been visiting Dustpelt in the warriors' den.

"You are to stay inside," Emberclaw ordered her kits. Ferncloud gathered the eight kits together and shooed them into the back of the nursery.

"You may all play here until we tell you to come out," she meowed sternly. "Emberclaw, let's go see if we can help out in the medicine den." Emberclaw nodded, and the two of them crossed the clearing and entered the medicine den. The den was buzzing with low, hushed conversations, mewing, shouting, and rustling.

"Where's Ravenpaw?" Emberclaw demanded.

"In the back," Cloudtail replied, his voice bitter. "Cinderpelt's only letting in certain cats to see him, but she let us all stay out here."

"Do you know if we can go back there?" Emberclaw asked, gesturing with her tail to Ferncloud.

"I guess so," Cloudtail shrugged. "If she doesn't want you back there, she won't make a secret of it."

"OK," Emberclaw nodded and led Ferncloud into the back of the den, weaving through the crowd of arguing warriors and apprentices.

"Kite," Ravenpaw rasped when the two queens entered the back of the den. "Come here, please."

Emberclaw swallowed and stepped forward warily. "Look, Ravenpaw, I am _so_ sorry! I never meant to be so-"

"Don't worry about it," Ravenpaw meowed, cutting the she-cat off before she could finish. "I…I forgive you. I realize that there's not much time left for me on this planet, so I wanted to apologize to _you_."

"Me?" Emberclaw repeated in shock.

"Yes," Ravenpaw rasped. "I know what Barley told you. I know how you feel about me, and I also know that love has no boundaries. Your friend Odin told me that. I realize that I shouldn't have done that to you, and I truly am sorry. Please, please do forgive me."

"You already are," Emberclaw whispered.

"Alright," Cinderpelt meowed, pushing the ginger queen back to stand beside Ferncloud. "That's enough talking for this old cat. He needs to save his strength if he wants to make it out of here alive. I think you two should leave now."

Emberclaw shot a desperate glance at her father, who was sitting by Ravenpaw's side.

"You have to listen to her, dear," he meowed simply. "She _is_ the medicine cat. You don't want him to die, do you?"  
"I suppose not," Emberclaw sighed, then turned and padded out of the den with Ferncloud on her heels.

"I'm truly sorry about him," Ferncloud mewed apologetically. "He doesn't look too great, does he? I sure do hope that he makes it."

"He will pull through," Emberclaw meowed firmly, mostly in assurance to herself. "How about you go and check on the kits? I'll grab something from the fresh kill pile for all of us to share."

Ferncloud nodded and darted off as Emberclaw plodded over to the fresh-kill pile wearily. She selected a scrawny mouse and two finches, which were considerably plump, considering the season. The queen trotted back to the warm nursery, where the eight kits huddled around Ferncloud as she explained what was going on in the medicine den.

"…and he may never be able to walk again," she was meowing as Emberclaw set the fresh-kill on the ground.

"Awesome!" Talonkit and Birchkit cried in unison.

"Ew," Snowkit muttered. Gingerkit and Larchkit murmured in agreement.

"Can we go see, mother?" Nightkit asked, turning to face Emberclaw as she sat down to groom herself.

"Certainly not," the she-cat snapped. "Ravenpaw's in bad enough shape as it is. I'm quite sure he doesn't want eight nosy kits running around bothering him."

"I wouldn't go," Hollykit mewed.

"Me either," Larchkit mewed.

"Yeah," Snowkit agreed.

"I think it's gross, too," Gingerkit meowed.

"Well," Ferncloud meowed. "I think we're done talking about this for now. Let's eat. Emberclaw brought us some great food."

"Great!" Barleykit and Nightkit mewled excitedly. The two of them darted forward and dragged one of the finches over to a corner. Talonkit, Birchkit, and Larchkit followed them hungrily. Snowkit, Gingerkit, and Hollykit shared the other finch, and Ferncloud and Emberclaw munched on the squirrel.

"I can't wait until these little bundles of fur are apprenticed," Ferncloud sighed. "You know, Firestar's considering holding them back from apprenticeship until your kits are six moons."

"Why is that?" Emberclaw asked.

"Well," Ferncloud replied. "They're about the same age, only a few dawns apart, after all, but Firestar's so tired of them causing all this trouble. And besides, he wants to give all eight of our kits apprentice names at the same time. He says it would save him a lot of time. But he's having a bit of trouble finding mentors for the kits."

"Well," Emberclaw meowed. "There's Brambleclaw. I'm sure he wants an apprentice. And Squirreltail, though she's just been made a warrior."

"Birchkit wants Sootfur as a mentor," Ferncloud meowed. "And Larchkit was saying something about Rainwhisker. Then there's Cloudtail and Graystripe. But Firestar could mentor one, too."

"Hmm," Emberclaw mumbled around the chunk of squirrel she was chewing. She swallowed, and her eyes scanned the back of the nursery, where the kits were fighting over who got the largest piece of finch.

Ferncloud purred. "They sure know how to keep themselves amused, don't they?" she meowed.

"Kits will be kits," Emberclaw agreed.

---------------------------X

Night fell quickly, and it snowed once again. The cats that had spent all day crowded inside the medicine den, trying to speak to Ravenpaw, were eventually herded out by an irate Cinderpelt and a weary-looking Firestar. The kits played in a small lump of snow just outside the den, occasionally wandering away to join the apprentices in their games.

Ferncloud turned in early that night, leaving Emberclaw sitting in her nest, wide awake, staring idly across the clearing at the frolicking kits, wishing that she still had their innocence, their playfulness, and their youth.

_You're still young,_ Emberclaw reminded herself. _You're only fourteen moons old._

The thought disturbed Emberclaw. In just two short moons, her life had gone from satisfying to a strange, foreign life in a place that felt only vaguely familiar to her. She had spent most of her life in ThunderClan in the nursery, so it only made sense that she ended up in there for another six moons. She still needed to complete the cycle, right?

And then, she would start real warrior training. The idea didn't excite her, nor did it frighten her. She was more or less neutral, though she preferred going straight to warrior status without any silly 'training' sessions. The only significant downside to the matter was that Glacierpelt and Sootfur would be her mentors. She wondered idly how she would be able to survive.

Eventually, the kits grew tired of the cold and wandered back into the nursery one by one. Since Ferncloud was already asleep, Birchkit, Hollykit, and Larchkit came to Emberclaw. She groomed each of the eight kits thoroughly, got them two large mice from the fresh-kill pile, then sent them off to sleep. Birchkit and Talonkit protested about having to sleep with their mothers. They both wanted to sleep in a separate nest. Eventually, other kits joined in their protest, until all but Snowkit and Gingerkit were begging to spend the night away from their mothers. Emberclaw agreed and padded off to the medicine den to fetch them some moss.

"Cinderpelt?" Emberclaw called as she entered the medicine den. The medicine cat was working busily at tending Ravenpaw's wounds and fixing his splints, while Leafpaw arranged more moss under his nest, obviously trying to make him more comfortable.

"What is it?" Cinderpelt snapped irritably, not looking up from her work. From where Emberclaw stood, she could see Ravenpaw's eyes light up with joy when he noticed her. The she-cat groaned inwardly. She wanted Ravenpaw to be happy, but she didn't want him to feel so attached to her.

"I-I was wondering if I could get some moss for the kits," Emberclaw stammered. "See, they want to sleep a-away from us t-tonight, and I was thinking I could m-make them another n-nest."

"Quit stammering," Cinderpelt snapped. "It's getting rather annoying. Leafpaw!" Emberclaw's sister stopped what she was doing, and stared at her mentor obediently. "Get some nest for her and get her out of here."

Leafpaw nodded and dashed off, leaving Emberclaw alone with Cinderpelt and Ravenpaw.

"What's with the sudden mood swing?" Emberclaw demanded.

"I'm just annoyed," Cinderpelt sighed. "It's been a long day, and I don't know if I'm doing this right. Your sister is very talented in this field, but I'd rather do this on my own, so I just have her gathering herbs and tending to Ravenpaw's needs. I wanted to let her help, but my pride tells me not to."

"Well," Emberclaw meowed. "You want to save Ravenpaw, right?"

Cinderpelt nodded.

"Then I say, let her help out. She's gonna be a medicine cat someday, and she needs to practice."

Cinderpelt was about to speak, when Leafpaw padded into the room, carrying a wad of moss in her jaws. She dropped it on the ground at Emberclaw's paws.

"Here," she mewed, sounding a bit crestfallen. Had she heard what her mentor had said? Emberclaw didn't ask. Instead, she mewed her thanks, gathered up the moss, and left.

The kits were waiting impatiently in the nursery when Emberclaw returned.

"Finally!" Birchkit cried as Emberclaw began setting up the nest, making sure it was wide enough for all eight kits to fit in. "Where were you?"

"Don't speak to her like that!" Gingerkit snapped. "She's a _queen_, for StarClan's sake! She deserves better respect than that."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Birchkit protested.

"Yeah!" Talonkit agreed.

"Just go to bed," Emberclaw snapped.

The kits groaned and protested at first, but eventually, they all crawled into the nest and went to sleep. Emberclaw did the same, drifting off to sleep just after moonhigh.


	23. Chapter 20

**Hooray, it's chapter 20! OMG, I have 111 reviews?!?!?! OH, SNAPPPP!!!! =) Thank you guys, so much, really. It means a ton to me that you actually like my writing.**

Chapter 20

The next morning, Emberclaw awoke to find all five of her kits snuggled in the curve of her belly, Birchkit among them. The she-cat purred and rose to her paws, being careful not to wake the sleeping bundles of fur. Talonkit's tiny paws battered the air as he dreamed, and he accidentally cuffed Snowkit over the ear. She jolted in her sleep, but did not wake. Emberclaw purred again and padded out into the center of camp. There were many cats in the clearing, most of them near the medicine den, their ears turned toward the entrance, listening intently to whatever was going on, though all of them had their backs turned to the den, as if doing something completely different.

"Emberclaw!" the queen looked up as someone called her name. Looking toward Firestar's den, she saw Squirreltail bounding toward her, eyes bright with excitement. "Guess what!" she mewed when she had reached her sister. "I got Firestar's permission to take you hunting today! I mean, if you want to, that is."

Emberclaw nodded. "That would be great," she mewed. "Thanks. I need to stretch my limbs. Just let me tell Ferncloud to..."

"_No!_" The agonized yowl halted all action in the camp. Cinderpelt dashed across the clearing and exited the camp, Leafpaw and Firestar on her heels. Gasps and cries of shock rose from the Clan cats as they rose to their paws and filed into the medicine den.

"What's going on?" Squirreltail asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. But Emberclaw already knew. Without a word, she darted into the medicine den, shoving away any cat who was in her path, until she stood beside Ravenpaw. The frail cat was twitching and foaming at the mouth. Pained moans escaped his barely parted lips.

"What's happening?" Emberclaw demanded, scanning the medicine den for anyone who might know the answer. No one replied. Emberclaw turned her head back to the loner, now being taken over by violent spasms that seemed to start in his chest and shoot to his limbs and neck.

"...H...Hel...Help," Ravenpaw groaned.

"What's going on?" Emberclaw demanded again, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Anyone?"

But everyone else was too busy going crazy to notice Emberclaw sitting beside Ravenpaw's dying body.

"Get him some water!" one voice cried.

"No!" another cat argued. "He's choking on something! Somone go step on his chest!"

"That'll just hurt him even worse!" a she-cat disagreed. "He can't be choking! Look, he's foaming from the mouth!"

"Momma," said a familiar voice. "What's happening?"

Emberclaw stared wide-eyed as Barleykit padded into view. He scanned the small semi-circle of space, where no cat dared to step.

"Nothing," Emberclaw snapped, rushing to her son's side. "Now get out of..."

"Ravenpaw?" Barleykit cried, his blue eyes wide with horror. "_Ravenpaw!_" the tom kit darted to the loner's side, burying his head in the loner's neck, now spattered with foamy saliva.

"Someone get him out of here!" one cat hollered.

"He won't budge!" Emberclaw snapped back as she tried desperately to get her son away from Ravenpaw.

"Momma," Barleykit moaned, his voice ridden with grief. "W-What's happening to him? What's Ravenpaw doing? Is he dying?"

"Barleykit," Emberclaw meowed firmly. "Get out. Now. You don't need to be here right now."

"Yes, I do!" Barkleykit snarled, whipping around to glare at his mother with eyes full of fire. "I need to save Ravenpaw."

Ravenpaw gave one last sputter, and his form went still.

There were gasps, and then an eternal gap of silence, until Barleykit turned once again to face Emberclaw.

"Is..." he mewed, his voice sounding sorrowful again. "Is he d-dead?"

"Yes, dear," Emberclaw meowed sympathetically, stepping forward to wrap her tail around Barleykit's quivering form.

"What's gonna happen to him now?" the kit asked.

"Well," Emberclaw began. "The camp will sit vigil for him, and then in the morning, the elders will..."

"No," Barleykit cut in. "I mean, is he going to StarClan?"

"I...I don't know, Barleykit," Emberclaw replied. "But, as far as I do know, Ravenpaw never did anything that would make him any less deserving of his place in StarClan."

"Barleykit," Glacierpelt's familiar meow rang through the den. He padded forward slowly until he stood at Emberclaw's side. She stiffened apprehensively, but the white warrior did not make a move. "Barleykit, my son, come here." He turned to Emberclaw, then meowed, "Do you mind if I talk to him for a while?"

Emberclaw narrowed her eyes, searching Glacierpelt's face for any sign of mischief. She found nothing but sincerity, and meowed, "Sure. But don't be long."

"Thank you," he meowed, dipping his head. Barleykit padded to his father's side, and the two of them padded out into the clearing.

"Emberclaw!" Graystripe darted into the medicine den, his eyes wild with a mix of emotions. "I'm so sorry about your loss, but you need to come down to the river, and quickly!" Emberclaw rose to her paws and followed Graystripe out of the camp. They darted through to forest, past the sandy hollow, through Sunningrocks, and arrived at the river a while later. Leafpaw and Firestar were dragging a limp figure onto the shore. The cat's soaked fur was black with water.

"Cinderpelt?" Emberclaw gasped.

Firestar nodded solemnly. "She drowned herself."

"Why?"

"Heart attacks were the one thing she never learned how to fix," Firestar explained as he licked his damp fur dry. "She had experienced only one before, with a loner named Casserole, and she couldn't help her."

"How do you know?"

"She said that right before she jumped in," Leafpaw cut in. "I had no idea she was suicidal."

Firestar shook his head sadly. "The Clan will miss her dearly," he meowed. "And so will I. Leafpaw," he turned to face his daughter. "Why don't you and Emberclaw go up to the Highstones tonight so you can recieve your medicine cat name."

"Yes, father," Leafpaw meowed, dipping her head. She turned without a word and darted off in the direction of the Highstones. Emberclaw followed, her head swimming with fear, anger, sadness, and guilt.

-----------------X

The two sisters reached Mothermouth just as the sun set.

"Why don't you come speak to StarClan, too?" Leafpaw suggested. "I don't want to be in there alone, anyway."

Emberclaw dipped her head in agreement, though she was wary of what StarClan would have to say to her, if anything at all.

Together, the two she-cats padded through the dark tunnel until they came to the Moonstone. Leafpaw immediately lay down beside the rock and pressed her nose to it. Emberclaw followed her example, and soon, a deep sleep came over her.

Emberclaw awoke a short time later, without a dream from her ancestors. Leafpaw was sitting at the entrance to the drafty tunnel, her tail wrapped around her paws.

"Hello, Leafpaw," the queen meowed, dipping her head.

"Leaftail," the medicine cat corrected.

"They gave you your medicine cat name!" Emberclaw cried. "Congratulations!" The queen licked her sister's ear in congratulations, then the two of them started back for camp.

It was just past sunhigh when they got back. The camp welcomed Leaftail with hearty congratulations as she padded wordlessly to the medicine den, now completely empty. Emberclaw returned to her den as well, exhausted from their journey.

"Hello, Emberclaw," Ferncloud meowed as the she-cat settled down in her nest. "I'm so sorry. Ravenpaw _and_ Cinderpelt in one day. It's just horrible, isn't it? Did Leafpaw get her new name?"

Emberclaw simply nodded. She realized then that the den was empy save for the two of them and a napping Larchkit.

"Where are the rest of the kits?" Emberclaw asked, stifling a yawn.

"They volunteered to help clean out the medicine den," Ferncloud replied. "Aren't they just so sweet? They wanted to surprise Leafpaw when she came back."

"Leaf_tail_," Emberclaw corrected. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm really tired, so I think I'm going to sleep for a while."

"Alright, then," Ferncloud meowed. "I'll go get the kits now. You have a nice rest."

"Thanks," Emberclaw mumbled as she dropped off to sleep.

When she awoke again, the sun was nearing the top of the sky. Birchkit and Talonkit were wrestling just in front of the queen, and to her left, Snowkit, Gingerkit, Larchkit, and Hollykit were grooming themselves. To her right, Nightkit and Barleykit were mewing to each other in hushed voices.

Snowkit was the first to notice her mother's awakening. "Mother!" she mewed, rushing to the queen's side and nuzzling her neck happily. "I missed you _so_ much! You slept _all_ night and _all_ day, too! You must be starving! Me and Gingerkit'll go get you something to eat." Before Emberclaw could say anything, the two kits dashed out into the camp, heading for the fresh-kill pile. Emberclaw sat up and groomed herself thoroughly, straightening out knotted clumps of fur with her teeth. Soon, Gingerkit and Snowkit returned with a scrawny mouse. Emberclaw thanked her kits and ate quickly, then started off toward the medicine den.

"Leaftail?" the she-cat called warily, stepping into the den slowly.

"Back here," Leaftail called, her voice soft with poorly hidden sorrow. Emberclaw padded over to her sister's side.

"How're you doing?" the queen asked, placing her tail on her sister's shoulder gently.

"I'm alright," Leaftail meowed, sniffling lightly. "Barleykit and Gingerkit helped me sort out the herbs after Birchkit messed them up. I'm running low on heather, cobwebs, and goldenrod. I'll have to go out later today, or perhaps early tomorrow morning."

"I can go for you," Emberclaw suggested.

"No," Leaftail replied. "You've done too much moving around for a queen in the past day or so. You need to rest."

Emberclaw's limbs _did_ fell sore, now that her sister had mentioned it. "Well," she meowed. "At least let me keep an eye on this place while you're gone."

Leaftail nodded in agreement. "I suppose so," she meowed. "I'll let you know when I'm leaving."

Emberclaw dipped her head in farewell to the new medicine cat, then turned and padded back into the clearing, where she was immediately intercepted by Glacierpelt.

"Hey," he meowed, his voice sober.

"What do you want?" Emberclaw snapped, her voice cold.

"I talked to Barleykit," Glacierpelt meowed. "A-About StarClan. I thought he should know what would happen to Ravenpaw."

"What did you say to him?" Emberclaw cried, assuming the worst.

"I just told him that different cats believe in different things," Glacierpelt meowed. "And that Ravenpaw believed in StarClan just like the rest of us, but just where he went was up to StarClan themselves."

"And what did he say?"

"He says that he thinks Ravenpaw was welcomed into StarClan."

"Well," Emberclaw sighed. "I suppose I should thank you. So, thanks."

"I want to apologize," Glacierpelt meowed suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Emberclaw asked, staring at Glacierpelt as though he were speaking in tongues.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I did to you in the past," Glacierpelt explained. "You don't love me, and you never did. I understand that. I suppose, at the time, I was just too naive to understand. I sincerely hope you will forgive me, though I assume you're not ready to do that yet."

"Well," Emberclaw meowed. "I think that was very mature of you, though I'll have to sleep on it. I'm not quite sure if I _can_ forgive you."

"That's quite alright with me," Glacierpelt meowed. "Now, Squirreltail, Brambleclaw and I are going hunting, and I was wondering if you wanted to come. I'm sure you'd be very welcome."

"I'd like that," Emberclaw replied. "I was going to the day Ravenpaw and Cinderpelt..." the she-cat didn't finish her sentence.

"Well," Glacierpelt meowed as he spotted Squirreltail and Brambleclaw by the camp entrance. "We should probably go now." Emberclaw nodded, and together, the two of them padded over to join their Clanmates.

"Mouse dung!" Emberclaw spat as the mouse darted under a bush, just out of her reach. "I almost had it!"  
"It's alright," Squirreltail meowed reassuringly. "You've already caught two finches. You're doing great."

"Thanks," Emberclaw meowed sheepishly as Brambleclaw's ears pricked.

"Squirreltail," he hissed. "Do you smell that?"

The ginger she-cat sniffed the air. "ShadowClan," she snarled under her breath.

"Why would they be here?" Glacierpelt mused.

"I don't know," Brambleclaw snapped. "Everyone, get down low. Hide under these bushes." The tom gestured with his tail to two small, icy bushes that still had a few leaves clinging desperately to them. Squirreltail and Emberclaw scrambled under one, while Glacierpelt and Brambleclaw hid under the other.

Soon, six cats stepped into view. One was a large white tom with huge jet-black paws. The second and third were dark ginger she-cats. Then came a small brown tom, a tortoisheshell she-cat, and a dark gray tom. Their eyes were cold and glazed, and they all moved with mechanical steps. Brambleclaw hissed under his breath and jumped out at the intruders.

"Brambleclaw?" the tortoiseshell she-cat mewed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that," Brambleclaw snarled ferociously. "What are the six of you doing here? Shouldn't you be back with your Clan?"

"Are you all alone?" Blackstar meowed contemptuously. "A young, inexperienced warrior such as yourself shouldn't be out hunting by himself."

Squirreltail snarled and wriggled out from under her bush, followed by Emberclaw. Glacierpelt emerged as well.

"Go back home, ShadowClan scum!" Glacierpelt spat.

"Glacierpelt," Brambleclaw warned. "Don't provoke a fight."

"They're on _our_ side of the territory!" Glacierpelt snapped angrily. "We have a right to drive them back."

"We have come to see Firestar," the large white tom meowed firmly, obviously having no intention of turning back.

"And for what reason?" Squirreltail asked suspiciously.

"That is a matter I must discuss with Firestar alone," the large tom replied smoothly. "Now, will you take me to see him, or shall I have to fight my way through."

"I could use a good fight," Glacierpelt challenged, narrowing his eyes and wiggling his haunches.

"Glacierpelt," Emberclaw whispered reproachfully, placing her tail on her mate's shoulder.

"Let them come through," Brambleclaw meowed after a moment of thought. "Squirreltail, go let Firestar know that Blackstar is here with several ShadowClan warriors, and wishes to speak to him."

Squirreltail just stood there for a moment, as though uncertain of what to do, then finally turned and darted off.

Blackstar and his Clanmates started off toward the ThunderClan camp, Brambleclaw in front of them, Glacierpelt and Emberclaw at their flanks.

They reached the camp in no time, finding Firestar waiting in the center of the camp.

"Ah, Firestar," Blackstar meowed. "If you don't mind, I wish to speak to you in more private quarters."

"As you wish, Blackstar," Firestar replied, dipping his head. Together, the two leaders padded off into the ThunderClan leader's den.

Emberclaw seated herself by the fresh-kill pile, bathing in the pale sunlight. Shrewpaw and Whitepaw were sharing a vole near the apprentices' den, and Talonkit and Birchkit were play fighting outside the nursery. Emberclaw let her eyes close, hoping she would be able to take a quick nap.

The she-cat awoke again to find Firestar and Blackstar standing about a foxlength away from her.

"I'm sorry," Firestar was meowing. "But that is not a request I can grant."

"That's a shame," Blackstar meowed. "I suppose we'll just have to fight for it, then."

Firestar flattened his ears in anger. "I am not willing to fight over nothing. There will be no battle here unless absolutely nessecary."

"Fine then," Blackstar meowed as he turned and stalked toward the camp entrance. "But you'd better get smart and double your patrols and night guards. 'Cause there's gonna be some kind of trouble if I don't get any of this land." With that, he was gone.


	24. Chapter 21

**Okay. So, some people have been asking me why I killed off Ravenpaw and Cinderpelt. Here is my explanation.**

**EXPLANATION!!!: Okay, so, since the next story is going to be told from Kite's kits' point of view, I needed to shape their future a bit. Especially Barleykit, because he is going to be one of the key characters in the next installment. Sooooo, yeah. There you have it. Ummm, if you didn't like my explanation very much, please don't rip my head off. I've had enough of that to last me the next three years.**

**NOTENOTENOTENOTENOTE!!!! (IMPORTANT): THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER!!! OMG!!!! Ummm…Yeah. At least, I think so. An epilogue may be in order, if I decide I'm not too lazy to write one, though I probably won't have time to do that.**

Chapter 21

"What was that about?" Emberclaw asked Firestar later that night. The two of them were sitting in the leader's dark den, discussing Blackstar's meeting with him.

"Blackstar's always wanted more land for his Clan," Firestar replied, his voice low. "But I believe this time he's taken it too far. He demanded the strip of ThunderClan territory that runs from the edge of the Thunderpath to Snakerocks."

"What was his reason?" Emberclaw asked, tipping her head to one side in curiosity.

"He says that there are two rogues living near the edge of their territory that wish to join them, and the she-cat is carrying kits."

"Well, that doesn't make much of a difference," Emberclaw pointed out angrily. "He's got plenty of room on his own territory."

"That's what I tried to explain to him," Firestar replied. "But he wouldn't listen to reason. And now, I fear that there may be a fight over this land, and I'm not sure if we can win."

"ShadowClan is small," Emberclaw meowed, shaking her head. "Why send all our warriors to fight them? Just send the same number of warriors that they have. That way, it'll be even."

"That's what I'm worried about, though," Firestar mewed, sighing. "Blackstar and his deputy know how to get around, and StarClan only knows how many rogues and loners they could recruit to fight on their side."

"Firestar?" Sandstorm's voice rang out from behind the curtain of lichen. "I brought you some food."

"Thank you, Sandstorm," Firestar replied. "Come in."

"I should probably get going, then," Emberclaw meowed, rising to her paws and padding out of the den, meowing greetings to her mother as she passed.

In the nursery, five of the kits were napping. Talonkit, Birchkit, and Nightkit were all wrestling.

"I'm Blackstar," Birchkit growled playfully as he clambered on top of Talonkit, who was lying in a heap on the ground. "And I'm here to take over your Clan!"

"News spreads quickly in this Clan, doesn't it?" Emberclaw purred, bending down and picking up Birchkit by the scruff.

"Hey!" Birchkit mewled, pawing at the air as Emberclaw set him down on the ground. "We were play-fighting!"

"Where's Ferncloud?" the queen asked, surveying the nursery.

"She went to get Leaftail some food," Nightkit replied, licking one paw and drawing it over his ear. "She's worried that Leaftail might stop eating. It happens when cats get depressed."

"I don't think Leaftail is depressed, Nightkit," Emberclaw meowed. "Now, I think it's time you three got some rest as well."

Talonkit and Birchkit groaned in unison, but the three of them crawled obediently into their nests.

Emberclaw settled down, too, wondering if the battle between ShadowClan and ThunderClan could really happen.

-----------------X

A sudden yowl awoke Emberclaw. Her head snapped up, and she surveyed the nursery. All eight kits were awake and quivering by their mothers' sides. Emberclaw poked her head out of the entrance to the nursery to find cats pouring into the ThunderClan camp, silhouetted by the light of the nearly full moon. A sharp, foul stench filled the air, a stench that Emberclaw could only identify with the smell of crowfood and the Thunderpath.

"ShadowClan!" a cat screeched. Immediately, warriors poured out of their dens and into the camp, leaping onto their invaders.

"They've brought rogues!" another voice called over the din. Two large, bulky figures appeared in the entrance to the nursery, their eyes glinting with malice. Ferncloud pressed herself up against the wall, and the kits sheltered behind her, using her body as a shield.

"Can the kittens come out and play?" the larger rogue hissed sarcastically, taking a step forward. Emberclaw hissed, feeling her fur rising.

"You stay away from the kits," Ferncloud snarled angrily.

"Oh, come now," the second tom meowed. "You're going to deny your kits the chance to come live with _real_ cats? You know they won't learn anything growing up around a bunch of kittypets."

"We're _not_ kittypets," Ferncloud retorted.

"You're under the rule of one," the first rogue snapped back. "Are you really going to submit to that scum?"

Emberclaw snarled and leapt at the first rogue, who simply batted her away with a flick of his large paw. The ginger queen slid across the nursery floor and rammed into the wall, making a small gap in it. Gingerkit's tiny, fearful squeak could be heard from behind Ferncloud's quivering body.

"Leave her alone!" Talonkit wailed, jumping out from behind Ferncloud. Birchkit was at his heels as he darted over to the rogues, who simply stood there, their eyes laughing.

"Get back here!" Ferncloud demanded. But the tom kits didn't listen. They leapt at the rogues. Birchkit took the first one, landing on his leg with claws unsheated, and Talonkit attacked the second one, jumping high and digging his tiny claws into the rogue's neck. The large gray tom snarled angrily, shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the kit, but Talonkit only dug his claws in deeper. The rogue yowled, flicking his neck one last time, and flung Talonkit out into the clearing.

There was a soft gasp of alarm from the second rogue as he found there was a significantly large gash in his neck, from which crimson blood was seeping.

Meanwhile, Birchkit clawed furiously at the other rogue's leg. The rogue simply turned and flicked him, too back out into the clearing. The two rogues nodded to each other, then turned and darted back into the clearing.

"I hope they're not hurt!" Ferncloud cried.

"Stay here," Emberclaw demanded. "I'll go and get them." With that, the she-cat rose to her paws and darted out into the clearing, which was a scene of pandemonium. Just in front of her, Ashfur and Sootfur were taking on Russetfur and a large silver she-cat with glinting amber eyes. She spotted Talonkit and Birchkit darting under the paws of rogues and ThunderClan warriors. Emberclaw hissed angrily and darted toward them.

"Get back inside," she ordered. "Now!"

"But we wanna fight!" Birchkit complained.

"There will be no fighting for the two of you," Emberclaw snapped. "Now get inside before one of you gets killed!"

Birchkit grumbled under his breath, but Talonkit tapped him on the shoulder with his tail and nodded his head toward the nursery, and the two of them darted off.

Just as they went by, a huge black tom jumped on top of Emberclaw, pinning her to the ground.

"Tell your father to surrender the land," the black tom snarled. "Or he dies tonight!"

"Firestar will never give up the land!" Emberclaw screeched, battering the tom's stomach with her hind paws. A sharp stab of fear hit her in the chest as she realized two things: she had little to no battle training at all, and the tom she was fighting could probably take her down in a heartbeat.

"You want to die, then, kittypet?" the rogue asked, his dark green eyes glinting in the moonlight. He raised his paw, claws unsheathed, and struck Emberclaw down her flank. The queen yowled in pain and writhed under the weight of the large tom. The pain stung stronger than any pain she had ever felt, even the pain of Ravenpaw's sudden and uncalled-for death.

"Stop!" she demanded, trying once more to squirm free. "I'll tell Firestar," she panted breathlessly. "I'll make him give up the land. Just let me go!"

"Alright, kittypet," the rogue meowed, letting Emberclaw stand. "But just know this, if Firestar doesn't surrender, I'll be sure to let Blackstar know who to blame." He snarled one last threatening snarl as Emberclaw turned and dashed off to Firestar's den.

"Firestar!" she called, ducking past Dustpelt and Thornclaw, who were standing guard outside the leader's den. "Firestar, you have to give up the land!"

"What?" Firestar asked, flicking his ear in shock.

"Just give Blackstar what he's asking for," Emberclaw panted. "They want to kill you, Firestar! The only way to save your life is to give ShadowClan the land they want!"

"I'd rather die nobly than live a coward," Firestar snapped. "If Blackstar wants the land so badly, he'll have to take all of my lives from me first. I'm willing to fight to protect what is mine. Now, settle down. You don't look too good. I'll have Leaftail come and take a look at you."

Firestar rose to his paws and padded out to the entrance of his den. He mewed something to Thornclaw, who darted off immediately, then settled back down.

"So you're just hiding here," Emberclaw meowed, her question more of a statement.

"We still outnumber the ShadowClan warriors," Firestar pointed out. "Even with the rogues."

"So you're just going to sit around and watch while your Clanmates fight for _your_ life and _your_ rights? I don't think that's very fair."

Firestar sighed. "If you want me to fight, then I will," he promised. "But I will make sure that Thornclaw and Dustpelt keep an eye on you until the battle's over."

Just then, Leaftail padded in with a small bundle of herbs in her mouth. She dropped them at Emberclaw's paws and checked her over quickly.

"Just a minor wound," she meowed after a moment. "Some marigold and cobwebs should do for now." As she spoke, she applied the herbs to her sister's wounds. "Also, I think you may be carrying another litter of kits."

"Sootfur," Emberclaw groaned. She saw her father's eyes grow wide right before he turned and padded out of the den and into the fray.

"Well, just stay in here, then," Leaftail meowed. "We don't want you hurting those kits. They should be due any time now."

"Okay," Emberclaw meowed, nodding as her sister padded away.

----------------X

Soon, the battle was over. Emberclaw managed to sneak out of Firestar's den to watch as the remaining ShadowClan warriors were fought off. As soon as the last cat scampered into the bushes, the cats of ThunderClan broke out into a hearty cheer. All eight kits rushed out of the nursery, eagerly scanning the dark, bloodstained camp for friends. Shrewpaw and Whitepaw danced around each other happily, and Cloudtail, Brightheart, Squirreltail, and Brambleclaw rejoiced, meowing to each other in loud, happy voices.

Some other warriors weren't as happy. They whispered to each other in rough, nervous, distraught voices, occasionally shooting a glance at the camp entrance, as

though anticipating the return of the rogues and ShadowClan's warriors.

Firestar leapt onto the Highrock with Graystripe at his side.

"Tonight," he yowled triumphantly. "We have defended what is rightfully ours. This battle proves that no power in the whole forest can take us away from it."

The Clan cheered in response. Emberclaw plodded sleepily off to the nursery.

"What's the matter?" Ferncloud asked as Emberclaw curled up in her nest, placing her tail over her nose.

"They'll be back," was all Emberclaw said.


	25. Chapter 22 Epilogue

**Last chapter! Okie dokie, so I'm going to try and at least put up the first chapter for the next story some time today. If not, please don't eat me or anything.**

**NOTE: I'm going to skip about a moon or so in this chapter. Just thought I'd let you all know so you wouldn't get all confused and such. Also, this is more of an epilogue, since it's kind of short, but yeeah. Enjoy!**

Chapter 22/Epilogue

The newleaf sun shone warmly on the quaint ThunderClan camp. Cats were still recovering from their battle injuries, some severe, some minor, but the camp was nonetheless full of life and joy. Ferncloud's kits played outside with their siblings, and Emberclaw's kits mingled outside the nursery.

Inside the nursery, Ferncloud and Leaftail worked speedily as another kit was delivered by Emberclaw. The kit was tiny, with light gray fur and tiny paws that flailed at the air once he had room to move. Meanwhile, Sootfur and Glacierpelt paced nervously outside of the nursery, waiting for some news on their mate's new kit. The two of them had since settled their differences and both agreed to help raise the kit as needed.

Soon after, Leaftail padded out of the den, her eyes bright. She reported the success of the kit's delivery and permitted the toms to enter the nursery.

Inside the small den, it was warm and cozy. The two small nests, both occupied by the two young queens, emitted a calming smell into the space. Emberclaw lay in her nest, stroking her kit idly with her tail as it drank her milk.

"What's its name?" Sootfur asked, his blue eyes bright as he realized how much the kit looked like him.

"His name is Freekit," Emberclaw replied softly, her voice sounding far-off, as though she were in a completely different universe as she spoke. "Because he has freed me of my old life. I've realized now that I don't need to be living under my own rules to be happy. I mean, I've got six kits, two mates, and a family that appreciates me. Though, sometimes, I still do wish that I could see my friends again."

"Will all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather below the Highrock!" Firestar called. Emberclaw rose to her paws knowingly, left Freekit with Ferncloud, and padded under the Highrock, still a bit wobbly on her legs from just giving birth.

"Today," Firestar announced. "We are here to give Emberclaw her name back. She and I have discussed this, along with her mother and two sisters, and we all believe that a change of name is in order. Therefore, I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this queen. She now understands what it means to be a ThunderClanner, and so I would like to present her with a more suiting name. From this day forth, this cat shall be known as Kite. StarClan honors your spirit and bravery."

"Kite! Kite! Kite!" the group of cats chanted.

Kite purred, her tail raised in pride. At last, her life was perfect.

**Yay! How was that? I got some complaints earlier in the story about Kite's name change, so I decided to finally change it back. I know this last chapter thing was a bit short, but if you read the title, it also says epilogue. So there you have it. Keep an eye out for the next story! =) Thanks for reading!**


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